How to Earn PMP PDUs in Your Sleep

I often get questions from readers, contacts or newly certified members on how to earn PDUs before the expiration of their PMP lifecycle. Sometimes the impatient part of me gets irritated at the questions because I feel like PMI has done a great job in outlining the categories and steps to earning them.  So all the member has to do is read, select the applicable categories and go looking for them, which by the way are not far to find. A ton already exists on the PMI site. Anyway since the questions won't go away, I decided to come up the easiest way to earn PDUs without breaking a sweat. And what better way than to do it while sleeping...figuratively, so hence the title of my post.

There are 5 categories listed by PMI for fulfilling the Continued Certification Requirements (CCR):
Category A - Courses offered by PMI's R.E.Ps, chapters and communities
Category B - Continuing education
Category C- Self directed learning
Category D - Creating new project management knowledge
Category E- Volunteer service

How do you earn PDUs while sleeping?
Lullaby Podcasts and bedtime audio books on Project Management
There are loads of audio books or podcasts that you can listen to while you sleep...literally.  Well, during your sleep you better be able to take good mental notes because proof of your attendance or participation might be requested by PMI should your CCR report be audited. I personally subscribed to a service provider that has over 30 PDUs worth of podcasts for your listening and viewing pleasure all for free.  That's half of your requirements in a 3 year cycle fulfilled! Consider it a lullaby or counting sheep while you snooze.

Date night with PMI members
Use your monthly chapter dinner or lunch meetings to earn points. Consider it a date night to watch a chick flick with your significant other or taking the kids to watch Finding Nemo. You'll probably sleep through the entire movie so why not earn PDUs while at it. So an hour worth of PDUs spent at chapter meetings equals 12 PDUs in a year.

The Sleeping PM
You nod your head through boring meetings, sleep walk through presentations and then assign all the work to your team so you can sleep some more.  And the good news, you earn PDUs while rolling over in your desk and drooling. As a practicing PM, you can earn up to 15 PDUs per lifecycle provided you worked as a PM for the entire three years. How easy is that?

Check in coats at PMI Congress
You can volunteer to help check in coats for attendees at registered PMI events or perform any mind numbing job that you can do while sleeping.  If counting the number of name tags or paper clips of conference materials is your version of counting sheep, then you're in luck. More PDUs to report!  Also, there may be opportunities for you to man a desk or answer phone calls unsupervised. Hello? Sleeptime!

Scribble a rant piece
Remember that time when you dreamed of spewing expletives at your boss for giving you a project with unrealistic deadlines, limited resources and improperly defined scope. Well just turn those pleasant dreams into a rant piece for a PM article and you could be fulfilling Category D in your CCR. I know I did. I recently had the chance to articulate my fantasies for a UK based PM magazine and I earned PDUs while at it. Cool, right?

While coming up with the above list gave me the chuckles, I am by no means advocating that PMs sleep their way through earning their continued certification requirements...no pun intended. Hopefully, some of my readers will find these suggestions as easy as rolling over...lol

How does Organizational Culture affect your Projects?

Does this sound familiar?

I recently got a question on LinkedIn requesting my input which in turn inspired today’s post.  The question was to clarify the impact of organizational culture on projects. Well my take on this question is twofold: organizational culture can have negative and positive impact on projects.  In Nigeria, our organizations grapple with getting competent staff to execute projects, managing impossible timelines and limited resources, and often unpredictable financial cash flows. Despite these constraints, the PM is expected to deliver on their projects without considering their impact on project performance.

Often times we focus on the impact of external factors like clients and customers on our projects that we tend to forget that the internal idiosyncrasies in the organizations we work for also pose significant impacts in project delivery.  What constitutes our organizational culture include our processes, values, technology, people, and strategic objectives. Organizational culture is as a result of how your people interact with all these parts in the work place environment. It affects the way people and groups interact with each other, with clients and stakeholders.

While organizations have a holistic unique culture, however sub cultures can exist between groups or people under the same organization.  Like stated earlier, organizational cultures can be positive or negative.

A few characteristics of positive cultures include:

• Strong and accountable leadership
•  Structured and transparent decision making
• Employee satisfaction and pride
• Enviable team spirit
• Investment in employee welfare and professional development
• Low employee turnover
• Strong competitive edge/advantage
• Hands on management

On the other hand, a few characteristics of negative cultures:

• Poor organizational/employee performance
• High employee turn over
• Lack of concern for employee welfare and professional development
• Weak leadership
• Lack of innovation and employee empowerment

Regarding project implementation, organizational culture is reflected in the way people perform tasks, set objectives, and administer the necessary resources to achieve objectives. Culture affects the way individuals make decisions, resolve issues and conflicts, and act in response to the opportunities and threats affecting the organization.

An organization that embodies a healthy, positive culture will have the following impact on projects:

• Well planned resource allocation
• High project performance regarding budget, schedule and scope
• Proper risk management
• High employee morale 
•  Reduced probability of waste, rework and scrap
• Effective project management methodologies and practice
• Empowered and highly motivated team

Negative cultures will have the following impact:

• Over run budgets and schedules
• Missed timelines and milestone targets
• Poor quality deliverables due to rework, employee turnover, and waste
• Customer dissatisfaction
• Difficult to motivate and manage teams

These lists are by no means exhaustive. Are there any positive and negative impacts you can think of?

The Role of Project Governance in Project Success

Project governance involves the sum of activities that ensure that the RIGHT projects are executed RIGHTLY according to laid down processes and procedures.  Emphasis on RIGHT projects means that governance facilitates the decision making process of project selection before they are executed.  This organizational body helps to put a structure for managing projects from initiation to closure in compliance with organizational regulatory framework and PM methodology.  Organizations can adopt PM methodology that fits its structure, governance ensures a synergy and correlation exists between organizational policies and PM policies. 

The main functions of project governance are to:

• Clarify responsibilities and accountability of resources within a project team
• Provide guidelines for selecting and initiating projects
• Facilitate decision making and issue resolution
• Provide access to best practices and expert advice

According to an article “Linking PMI Standards to Project Governance,” the primary focus of effective project governance is the elimination of failures. An effective governance system should be proactive and preventive. Through close monitoring of project reports, business cases, and risk logs, root causes of project failures can be discovered and reduced or eliminated. Even though the field of project management has evolved and matured over the years to refined methodologies and practices, yet projects continue to fail at an alarming rate.  Michael Krigsman estimates that the rate of failure of IT projects to be 60-80%.  For the percentage that succeed, effective project governance is listed as one the key factors. No matter how refined your PM methodology is, without strong leadership commitment towards governance, your chances of success are limited.

If there are issues indicated by a project manager on an issue/risk log that has been pending for weeks, a trigger needs to set off via the project manager and Governance Board/ Steering Committee to facilitate immediate resolution of the issue.  When there are patterns or trends in decision making on projects that are yielding negative outcomes like delays in project, scope creep, poor delivery performance, the governance board evaluates these incidents and puts in place mechanisms to reduce their occurrence.

An effective governance structure should not wait until there are dire consequences from poor decision making on projects before setting up a framework to empower project managers and their teams to make enlightened decisions. A project manager should be able to make informed decision when a critical path activity suddenly moves from a green to amber or red status. Equally, project governance should be able to provide the project manager with necessary tools, expert advice and resources needed to execute the decisions.

The Role of Project Governance

Another useful importance of project governance is ensuring compliance to external regulatory framework. When executing projects in the public sector, there are requirements regarding procurement, financial accounting, recruitment of staff, and disclosure of performance information that need to be complied with.  In UK for example, federal projects are subject to audits by the OGC gateway process.  In the US, there are regulations that require the exclusive use of US citizens for specific projects. By closely monitoring compliance to these requirements, project governance helps to prevent the project from exposing the organization to possible legal proceedings or project termination.

One of the components of governance system is project management effectiveness and efficiency.  This ensures that project teams are aware of their expectations in the project and are capable of delivering the benefits and objectives of the project.  Part of this mandate involves hiring the right people for the job, equipping them with right tools and methodologies, monitoring their progress and performance while also resolving any conflicts or issues that may arise. 

Governance helps to align project goals with organizational goals and strategies. A 2005 survey of project management office (PMO) leaders by Business Improvement Architects found that 87% of organizations “do not align projects strategically with corporate strategy.”[1] Hence, project governance plays a significant role during the process of documenting and updating the business case for a project.  Before the project is selected, there needs to be justification on how the project will be beneficial to the organization as well as how to ensure the project meets the intended goals during implementation. This template will serve as a guide during project review process to ensure compliance and resolve any issues that may affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the project.

The project business case also provides a reliable basis for making authorizations and decisions. Such decisions can involve halting a project mid phase or outright termination when the outcomes are not aligned with organizational goals.  During this stage, a review of the project is initiated with emphasis on identifying root causes and justification to proceed or not with the project.  Maintaining this proactive approach ensures that projects that do not add value are avoided and further waste of resources reduced.

Having the authoritative and exclusive support of a Governance board/Steering committee shows executive good will towards the success of the project.  According to Governance of Project Management (GoPM), the board has overall responsibility for governance of project management[2].  The Governance board has a sponsor whose role is to mediate between the project team and executive management. He/She has authority on decision making and can commit resources as needed to drive the project to success. Sponsors ensure that projects realize benefits and prevent them from getting out of control.  It is imperative that project sponsors have accountability and devote time to effective governance to reduce the probability of failure.

The key to successful projects is the perfect juxtaposition of the role of an effective governance system aligned with organizational strategy and supported by an active board/steering committee.  Organizations that manage projects can benefit from implementing governance system to yield results like high level of project success to financial benefits like positive ROI.

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[1] KPMG Project Management Surveys – 2002, 2003, 2004 accessed at www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Resources_papers.html#Proj.off

[2] APM (2004) Directing Change – A guide to the Governance of Project Management. The Association of Project Management, High Wycombe, UK

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This sucks! How do I cope with a failed project?

In an interview recently, I was asked if I've ever managed a failed or unsuccessful project and how did I handle it? Hmmm my natural instinct was to lie and exclaim of course not! All my projects have always been on time, on budget and within scope. Gosh I can feel my nose getting longer as I type. But we know in all honesty that even the most skilled PM in the most controlled environment has had one or two failed or unsuccessful, projects in their adult lives. So why should I be immune to such fate? Micheal Krigsman an authority on the root cause of project failures estimates that about 80% of IT projects fail and the failure rate of at risk projects to vary between 50 and 80%.

I'm not sure about the statistics in Nigeria but I'm sure we're in the ball park since a majority of our projects are high risk due to the environment we live in.  We have either managed projects that were stopped midway by a client or the organization, have a contract revoked for poor performance or delivered a dodgy job which was accepted by the client because they had no other choice or knew better.

So how do I deal with or manage the effects of a failed project? If you're a high performer like me, you often deal with the dilemma of having your track record broken, being blamed for the failure, questioning your expertise and looking incompetent in front of people who regarded you highly. Yes it can be torture!

However, forever the optimist and opportunist, I don't stay down for too long.  In the first episode of the show Lost, the lead actor said something to one of the supporting actress trying to get her to perform an uncomfortable, high risk medical procedure on him to stop his bleeding. He said when faced with fear he allows himself 60 secs to absorb the fear and let it have its way with his emotions. And then when 60 secs is up, it's time to shake it off and act. The same way I allow myself a few pity parlor moments, and then it's time to objectively analyze the situation.

Start by asking yourself a few objective questions. If possible make it a group effort and involve a few team members.

Ask questions like:
Where did I go wrong?
What warning signs did I miss and how did I react to them?
Did I adequately understood the requirements of the projects?
Did I have adequate systems/resources to properly manage the project?
What actions did team members take that had impact whether positive or negative on the project?
Go from self reflective to people and organizational reflective questions. For example, where did I go wrong? Where did the team go wrong? Where did the organization go wrong?

Honestly, there are a number of questions we can ask ourselves to properly find the root cause of the failure. However objectively responding to these questions will help in finding useful answers.

Project managers are encouraged to hold post implementation or closure meetings with their team to properly analyze what went wrong and right with the project. It's always good to reflect on the good moments or positive outcomes and build on them for the future.
Reflect on decisions and actions done on the project by team members or stakeholders that had positive or negative outcomes.

"Analyzing the project to determine decisions and actions that had positive and negative impact on the project provides a balanced way of arriving at lessons learned and opportunities to glean from in the future"

Then its time to find answers and resolutions. What lessons can I learn and how can I make it right?

List all the lessons learned and how these lessons can be implemented in the future. Highlight the need for improvement on the negative outcomes and harness the opportunities from the positive outcomes.

Let me tell you something I have done with an estranged client post project closure. I initiated a meeting with them where I discussed areas where I, my team and the organization failed them and took responsibility for the failure. Then I concluded that I hope they consider us in the future and give us an opportunity to prove our commitment to a relationship with them. Did I also mention I did this without the approval of my boss? Gosh I hope they don't read this! The outcome? They were touched and commended me for the maturity of my actions. Now whether or not they will take the company on another offer, Hmmm only time will tell. But I made a lasting impression on their minds that day...they will not forget me in a hurry.

Finally forgive yourself and move on. Trash the negative experience and perception and archive the lessons learned not just in your document archival system but also in your heart and mind. Use it as teaching experience in the future and try not to repeat the same mistakes. Easier said than done right? Well life is a journey filled with many stops, multiple directions, exits and turns. If you make a wrong turn, retrace your steps and get back on track!

Help! How do I handle changing requirements in my project?

Experienced Project managers in Nigeria know that we manage projects in high risk uncontrolled environments that don't exactly follow the norms of project lifecycle or methodology.  You can be called to manage a project that was parked 3 years ago and all of a sudden resuscitated. With no proper handover, you don't even know what the deliverables of the project are.  Then you're expected to perform miracles and deliver results of a non defined project within an unrealistic timeline and schedule.  Oh the joys!

Regardless of how chaotic the project looks, you're expected to bring order and normalcy to the whole charade. You guide and facilitate the team through the process of clearly defining and understanding the requirements for the project, success criteria and objectives. Finally, you get a handle of what the project needs to accomplish and begin work in earnest. While in the middle of execution, the client reminds you of a certain expectation the project is meant to fulfill that was not properly documented or agreed upon offline...if you know what I mean. While arguing with the client on the authenticity of the requirement, your boss asks you to oblige and give the client what they requested without committing any resources to make the change.  Does this sound familiar? Oh let's not forget the other thousand and one changes that are coming up internally from the project team due to resource, time and budget constraints.

You then go to your office and mutter a few expletives and throw your hands in surrender wondering how in the world you can ever get this project completed on time and budget while meeting all these expectations. The truth is...you can't!
But the good thing to know is every crisis can be managed and each crisis presents an opportunity to demonstrate those wonderful PM skills hidden inside your being and practice tidbits taught us by PMI, books or seminars.
First things first. While changes are inevitable with projects, have you created and followed an established change management system for your projects? If so,  are your internal and external stakeholders aware of this system and how to use it? If not, you have started the project poorly.

PUT A CHANGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT IS CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD AND IMPLEMENTED BY TEAM MEMBERS

Creating a change management system involves putting together a process to handle how changes will be defined, documented, analyzed and handled by team members. Most organizations have an established change control process and all the PM has to do is resuscitate and modify it where necessary.
In the scenario listed above, the PM might have to call a timeout on future change requests until a system can be set up and communicated to all stakeholders.  It may lead to project delays and uncomfortable conversations with angry clients who do not understand why you can no longer attend to their every whim but that's ok.  Better to correct the course of ship heading towards an iceberg than to stir full throttle into it!

Communicate, communicate, communicate!
When a drastic change like implementing a new change control system is introduced mid way into the project, it is important the goals of the change is properly disseminated to all parties.  Calling meetings and utilizing other useful information dissemination mediums are useful techniques to start with.  Always aim at having key stakeholders on board with the process first before communicating to the rest of the team. Get the buy in of the project sponsors, key external stakeholders and internal champions to support the initiative and commit resources where needed.

Be the Change Agent!
A good way to kick off will be to list out all the changes requested to date and analyze some of them as a demonstration. Having final decisions on them like “Go” or “Not Go” will help drive the importance of the change management process. For example, if there are out of scope changes requested, discussing the impact of the change and the justification for the out of scope and No Go decision will make the message clearer.

Be the Enforcer!
I'm sure you're aware that immediately following your illustrative presentation and high impact meeting, there will always be a team member or client who will wait for you right outside the door to discuss another request that has just come up. Well this time around instead of screaming expletives under your breadth, you can smilingly point them to direction of your new change management process. Kindly inform them to document the change and present to you for follow up. Do not cave in to any impromptu or seemingly urgent do or die request! Gently remind them of the new system in place and how it will be helpful to the team in meeting project objectives.

Phew! Sounds like a plan right? Now you can breathe easy and implement your changes with ease.

Check out my guest posts on Ritetracpm.blogspot.com

Dear Bespoke Minds,

Earlier this year, I wrote a few guest posts on the blog of renowned Abuja based Project Manager and Trainer, Ojiugo Ajunwa.

You can check out my blog posts on her site via the following links.

The 1st article was on the use of the agile project management approach in Nigeria and how your organization can adopt this widely used methodology.
http://ritetracpm.blogspot.com/2012/02/agile-project-management-in-nigeria.html

The 2nd article provided practical guidelines to enable you obtain Sign offs from your clients once your project deliverables are met.
http://ritetracpm.blogspot.com/2012/02/getting-sign-offs-on-project-documents.html

Please check out both posts and leave your comments.  I would love to answer any questions you may have on either topics.  Feel free to also send me an email at ulomajacob@gmail.com or leave a comment on my blog..

Guest posts are also welcome on my blog. I will love to share my blog space with you!