Tip #1 – Don’t dress like Magneto from the X-Men comics. (See picture)

There are so few project management roles where this is appropriate attire anymore. Sad, really. The last time I wore my spider man costume to an interview…

5 Comments Continue reading

Peter Taylor (Rugby) is the head of a Project Management Office for Siemens PLM Software, a company specialising in Product Lifecycle Management. Despite his title of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’ Peter Taylor is in fact a

2 Comments Continue reading

Bas de Baar discusses Project Leadership in a global and virtual world through his popular blog and video podcast “The Project Shrink”. With over a decade spent in the trenches as Software Project Manager within the publishing, financial and public sector, running multi-national teams, he has a lot to talk about.

Bas holds a masters degree in Business Informatics and lives with his wife in The Netherlands. He is author of the book “Surprise! Now You’re a Software Project Manager” and is a member of The PMI New Media Council. This council brings together industry bloggers, webcasters and podcasters to help PMI advance the profession, to promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge and to make the best use of new social media channels.

Josh: Thank you so much for sharing your background and experience with the pmStudent community Bas! How did you get your start in Project Management?

Bas: I studied Business Informatics at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. As a final practice I had the opportunity to do research at a Project Management department at a large financial institution. The projects they performed suffered from what can be called “interventions”, which were changes triggered by the project environment. Being educated as a plan-driven-pro, I set out my checklist and searched for forgotten process components, only to find out after a couple of months that everything was neatly in place. From standard documents to procedures, they had it all. And still the project went from left to right.

Being the eager beaver that I was, I just kept on looking and looking for the missing ingredient but could not find a single clue to locating the feature or process that would help to solve the pressing problem. At one given moment, I had an “aha”-Erlebniss (a whack on the head), which turned out to be a life altering moment professionally. At the coffee corner, I overheard fellow project team members have a conversation about a procedure that they were not going to follow. My jaw dropped. Not following the official procedure? Not complying with company policies? If they didn’t follow procedure then all the changes implemented were going to be completed without the project manager’s knowledge? The penny dropped. It seems so simple now, but it really rocked my world at the time. They forgot to deal with the people.

This got me hooked on project management. And soon after getting my degree I started doing PM at newspapers in The Netherlands and Germany.

Josh: Who do you look up to and have learned a lot from in relation to project management?

Bas: Without any doubt Barry Boehm (wrote the classic “Software Engineering Economics”). He introduced me to two critical concepts in my thinking about PM:

a) Make everyone a winner (Theory W)

Everyone effected by the project, direct or indirect, has something to say, again direct or indirect, and will do so. Everyone wants to get the best from this project for him personally, or for his (part of the) organization. It’s the job of the software project manager to see that everyone gets what he wants, in one way or another. He has to “make everyone a winner” In this respect, the role of the project manager becomes that of a negotiator.

b) Balancing your approach

In “Balancing Agility And Discipline” he provides insights in when to apply agile methods and when to apply plan-driven methods. Barry argues that for every type there is a kind of project that is suited for one of the approaches. Or a kind of combination.

Josh: How do you manage internal conflicts between members of the your team?

Bas: I just have to refer you to this great explanation by Christina Bowen. She explains it much better than I can

Josh: What are your thoughts on leadership versus management?

Bas: Management is about running a project in an organizational context. You are dependent of the organization: they provide you with the authority, the resources, the information, the time and money. Management is about making sure you execute what the larger organization wants and monitor you stay within the dependencies.

Leadership is about independence. You can do everything yourself as a leader, you only need your personality and your own social skills. It is about motivating people, painting a great project vision, making sure every body is informed and heard.

4 Comments Continue reading

Craig Brown has worked as a project manager and business analyst mainly in the Australian ITC, and Banking industries. He has also worked in the law, education and welfare industries. Craig writes a great blog at betterprojects.net.

Josh: Thank you so much for sharing your background and experience with the pmStudent community Craig! How did you get your start in Project Management?

Craig: After graduating in the early-mid nineties I started working for a phone company in a call centre. In the team I was inducted with there were a great range of talented people who all went on to other IT roles. My story is just one of them, but this start gives a hint to a pattern – of surrounding yourself (sometimes accidentally) with motivated and clever people.

In this role me and my colleagues would try to excel rather than just turn up, and we have a manager that challenged us to ‘be more useful’ rather than to hit the local KPIs. As a result a handful of us started delving into product manuals and investigating business processes in our downtimes. Me and two other guys in particular started to pester management with ideas of how to do things better. It was done in a constructive manner, even though upper management might have thought us presumptuous. Eventually we started to get other small project jobs and a combination of our motivation, attitude and skills led us all into project roles.

For me this led to a team focuses on operational process improvement. Which then naturally led to technology enhancements. At first these were minor and gradually grew.

Josh: Who do you look up to and have learned a lot from in relation to project management?

Craig: I have worked with a handful of what I consider to be great program directors and managers. Three that come to mind are Andrew Murray, Mohan Victor and Mike Augello. There are plenty of others who were great to work with and who taught me valuable lessons, but the things these guys shared with me were a really outstanding commitment to delivering your clients/customers an excellent experience as well as a high quality product at the end of your project. (Actually now I have named names I should include a few others; Annette Finck, Greg Reeves-Smith, James Mahoney, and the ist goes on..)

I also have to say I have made some really valuable contacts online – Glenn Alleman of the Herding Cats blog and Capers Jones of SEI have offered a ton of information and insight and been very approachable. Many other software and project management names have also been very welcoming and helpful when I have asked.

Choose to work with great people and reach out online. There is plenty of assistance out there.

Josh: What course work or education would you recommend?

Craig: I think two degrees helps; one to get you started and one maybe a decade later to push you from intermediate to advanced. A commitment to continuous learning is crucial.

Get involved in local or online communities. Find the opportunity to teach others what you know – it sharpens your thoughts when you have to stand up and face an audience of professionals.

Lastly, write an article at PM Student on a regular basis. In particular focus on an area you are weak on, and the need to research the article will elevate your professional knowledge.

Josh: What is your advice regarding online versus in-class education and training for project management?

Craig: People like online learning. I don’t think a paid online class is for me. I would get better value from a book and even more from face to face interaction. It probably works for others and definitely is a simple way to get a certification.

1 Comments Continue reading

Lisa DiTullio is a leading force in project and business management. She is the principal of Lisa DiTullio & Associates, dedicated to introducing project management as a business competency, enabling organizations to improve decision-making, instill accountability, and enhance communications. Learn more about Lisa at lisaditullio.com.

Josh: Thank you so much for sharing your background and experience with the pmStudent community Lisa! How did you get your start in Project Management?

Lisa: Like many, I fell into it by accident. While managing a functional unit, I was asked to take on a major project “in my free time”. I had no formal project management training and wasn’t quite sure what to do. I relied on my leadership and communication skills, which was a very wise choice. The project was a huge success; not only did we manage to deliver on time and within budget, we also set precedent by introducing the first “paperless” system for the organization—it set the standard for other operational units. Oh, and did I mention—we delivered the project in absence of any ‘real’ project management tools!

Josh: I want to be a PM consultant eventually. Any advice?

Lisa: Project management consultants come in different shapes and sizes. Some will continue their role as project managers, working for clients on a contract basis to deliver priority projects. Others will offer advice and guidance to companies who are seeking to introduce or evolve project management practice in their organization; and there are others who will focus on training and development of project management professionals. Be sure you have a clear vision on what type of consultant you want to be. This will help you define your target client. Do you want to specialize in a specific industry? Target companies of a certain size? It is critical to answer these questions; this will help you write your business plan, which will help you stay focused on your aspirations.

Consultants can effectively promote themselves through speaking opportunities. Sharing your expertise, experience and ability to guide others by speaking at industry events is a terrific way to exhibit what you’ve got! Lastly, network, network and network!

Josh: What are the biggest challenges a new project manager faces?

Lisa: This is a difficult time for new project managers, as fewer entry-level project opportunities exist during a shaky economy. New project managers need to stay visible in organizations and promote their leadership and communications skills. These are two competencies that will sustain new project managers during lean times. It’s a terrific time to learn something new –local PMI chapters continue to offer terrific educational programming at very affordable costs—I strongly suggest that all new project managers join their local chapters today and take advantage of the learning and networking opportunities made available. This is also a terrific time for junior-level project managers to seek mentor relationships with seasoned project managers—many project managers have some extra time on their hands right now, take advantage of today’s business lull to develop yourself for tomorrow. The economy will turn around, be ready when it does.

3 Comments Continue reading

Glen Alleman is Vice President, Program, Planning, and Controls at Lewis & Fowler.

Glen’s background includes Project Management executive positions with 25 years experience, and he led the creation of Lewis & Fowler’s Deliverables Based Planning (sm) method as it is applied to aerospace, defense, and commercial enterprise projects.

Glen has an excellent blog at http://herdingcats.typepad.com.

Josh: How did you get your start in project management?

Glen: I started my career as a software engineer in the radar/sonar business. I was a fresh graduate student in physics and moved my skills in digital signal processes from particle accelerators to radar systems. I worked on digital filters and pattern recognition systems. I moved from those areas to realtime control systems for the vehicles that had the radar on board.

Over time I became interested in the business side of these programs and started to “manage” the work packages of larger programs. When the aerospace business fell on hard times in the early 80’s I switched to commercial software development and managed groups of developers for a variety of products. Planning, budget, deliverables, staffing and requirements management were done in the traditional manner. As that market matured some of the agile processes started to be used and project management became more important for the business side of the project.

I switched back to aerospace and defense in the early 90’s as a Program Manager in a large Department of Defense initiative here in Denver. I had Project Managers looking after multiple decommissioning activities. since then I’ve been with a Program Management firm developing business and processes for our aerospace and defense sector.

Josh: Who do you look up to and have learned a lot from in relation to project management?

Glen: the President of Kaiser-Hill (the joint venture between ICF Kaiser and CH2MHill) created an environment where the Plan of the Week and eventually the Plan of Day was our paradigm for getting to closure under budget and ahead of schedule. During that period I met Paul Solomon, who has since retired from Northrop. Paul’s book Performance Based Earned Value influenced my concept of measuring physical percent complete. Also Nick Pisano guided us with his advice on how to use WinSight (then from C/S solutions) to integrate a large number of concurrent projects into a single Performance Measurement Baseline. Nick was the former PEO (Program Executive Office) for several Navy flight programs and is now the president of Safran – an integrated program management system.

I received my best advice from my boss at Rocky Flats – who created a collegial environment where we could try out new ideas around program management and “learn” how to improve the process before we met with the real problems of getting a nuclear weapons plant decommissioned.

Josh: How do you stay focused on the MACRO project goals, and not get drawn into the MICRO?

Glen: I stick with the Integrated Master Plan / Integrated Master Schedule paradigm for everything. This approach defined what “done” looks like in Significant Accomplishments and the Accomplishment Criteria (exit criteria) for the Work Packages containing the individual work activities. this approach is applied to IT, construction, and DoD/NASA programs. The owners of the Work Packages are accountable for delivering the Outcomes. The Program Manager (me) is accountable for removing any impediments to the work package progress.

This requires that everyone understand that if a Work Package manger is not up to the task, someone else will be given that work. This avoids any temptation to dive into the activities “inside” the Work Package. There is a clear boundary between Master Plan and the schedule of the Work Package. This boundary is defined in a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) with the intersection of the Organization and the Work Packages.

Josh: How do you handle scope creep?

Glen: The Integrated Master Plan and the Work Breakdown Structure are mandatory. With these two description the scope is explicitly visible. Changes in scope only happened in an approved manner. Then cost and schedule impacts are also visible. Scope creep is needed in many instances. Uncontrolled, unapproved, and unassessed scope creep is the problem, not the scope creep itself. It’s managing in the presence of change that creates success, not trying to manage the change.

2 Comments Continue reading

Cornelius Fichtner worked as a Project Manager in his native Switzerland, in Germany and in the USA for the last 16 years. He received his PMP credential in April 2004. He has led projects for a management consulting company, a national retailer, an internet startup company and for for one of the oldest financial service providers in the USA. His passions are project management methodologies and PMOs.

In addition to hosting The Project Management PrepCast™, he is an instructor for the PMP Workshop and the 2007 Chair of his local PMI chapter. He currently lives in Silverado, California, USA with his wife and their two computers.

Josh:  How did you get your start in project management?

Cornelius:  That was a little bit by coincidence. I started out my career as a COBOL software developer. After having worked as a junior developer for 3 years in Switzerland I joined a group called Up with People (www.upwithpeople.com). They are an international educational organization with a twist. We performed a musical show about 3 times per week and traveled from town to town, living with host families and learning more of the “softer” skills in life.

After my one year of travel with the group I returned home and went back into programming. But I shortly realized that I was missing my work with people. So I decided to change my career and began to study what was then known as “organizational planner” but it’s simply project management by a different name. I got a diploma from the Swiss Federal Government as an organizational planner and over the course of 15 years managed more and more projects.

Josh:  Who do you look up to and have learned a lot from in relation to project management?

Cornelius:  There really isn’t one single person who should get all the credit. Every one of my bosses deserves some part of it: Andre Bourquin offered me my first job as a junior PM and I learned many of the basics from him. Max Wunderlin helped me to get to understand company politics and how to sail these trecherous waters. Didier Wetzel opened my eyes to project management methodologies and PMOs. And lastly Kristine Munson, PMP started my career in PMI and supported me throughout the six years that we worked together professionally and in our local PMI chapter.

Josh:   Does the PMP certification help people get PM jobs?

Cornelius:  The PMP exam is the must have certifications for project managers in the USA and many other parts of the world. If you are looking through current job openings you will see that the PMP is a requirement in most descriptions. If you don’t have it, HR will not pass your resume on to the hiring managers. Having the PMP certification means that you are at a certain “technical” level of project management, for instance: you understand the basic PM mechanisms, you know what a WBS is, you understand the importance of communications, and you will speak the same PM language as the other project managers in a company. It doesn’t say anything about how good you really are as a PM but it levels the playing field because you have proven that you understand the basics.

Josh:  What about the CAPM certification for entry-level PM jobs?

Cornelius:  The CAPM is a non-renewable certificate. You can take the exam, be CAPM certified but once the certificate “ends” you cannot renew it. From here you must go on to become a PMP. Seen under this light the CAPM certificate is definitely a way for a junior PM to show to her/his supervisors that this is the career which they have chosen. By taking the time to pass the exam you show your interest and your focus. There are currently (2009/07/12) 1,039 job openings for PMP certified project managers on the www.monster.com job portal, but just 42 for CAPM. Hence the CAPM has little effect in finding a job but it will have a great effect in regards to your ability to show what your stated career goal is.

6 Comments Continue reading

John Langlois is currently an IBM certified Executive Project Manger chartered to deliver integrated solutions on the Power Systems platform. John Langlois joined IBM in 1984 and has seen dangerous tours of duty in many brands. From 1996 through 2001, John led the most successful notebook project in history – ThinkPad T series. He also launched a major horizon three software project commissioned by Sam Palmisano. John’s website www.projectEZ.com is dedicated to helping project managers guide troubled projects through rough waters.

Josh:   Thank you so much for sharing your background and experience with the pmStudent community John!  How did you get your start in Project Management?

John:  Back in 1995, IBM turned to a more discipline project management approach to add more predictability to projects.  So they offered technical leads like myself the opportunity to complete the George Washington University master certificate program in project management. Free education.  Enough said.  Everyone should take up their company’s offer to help them improve their skills.

Josh: Who do you look up to and have learned a lot from in relation to project management?

John: Adalio Sanchez, a senior manager at IBM.  He asks his direct reports for their opinion and then, gulp, listens to what they say. I’m not making this up.  A senior management like this actually exists.

Josh: What are the top personal attributes that lend themselves to project management?

John: The ability to speak openly to people.  Tell them your core values and then defend them in a way that doesn’t make the other person too angry.

Josh: What are the top skills a new project manager needs?

John: The ability to work in a time box.  Deadlines are our friend, but only if we learn how to balance scope and cost to achieve the schedule.  Agile development is an interesting expression of this idea and I recommend that all new project management explore Agile method just to see this principle in action.

Josh: What are the biggest challenges a new project manager faces?

John: Earning the respect of your team.  Why should they listen to you?  Some of team members may be old enough to be your dad or mom!  The answer to this obstacle involves your ability to effectively articulate your value add to the team.

7 Comments Continue reading

I was interviewed on PM411.org recently, take a listen if you want to know a little more about me. Ron asked me about my history in project management, we talked about scope management a bit, and my thoughts on the future of the PMP certification. It was an enjoyable discussion, thanks Ron!

3 Comments Continue reading

I met Dennis Stevens in Denver at the 2008 PMI Global Congress. Hal Macomber and I had supper with him…they were old friends, and I was the new guy. A very interesting conversation ensued, where I learned a little bit about how brilliant (and ornery) those two guys are. Dennis graciously agreed to share some of his ample experience with us here at pmStudent.

Dennis Stevens is an Organizational Project Management Consultant with over 25 years of experience in consulting with IBM, Perot Systems and his own firm.

He helps executives develop technology strategy and implement the supporting organizational and process solutions to improve business performance. He uses a unique approach that combines traditional, agile and Lean principles that the Harvard Business Review called “The Next Revolution in Productivity”. He is a recognized expert in project management and has been published in Harvard Business Review and a Cutter Consortium Executive Report. Mr. Stevens served as a Deputy Project Manager for the Project Management Institute’s Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) and is a PMP and OPM3 certified consultant. He completed the Certified Scrum Master course this year. Mr. Stevens earned his bachelor degree in Organizational Psychology and Development and was awarded the Naval Commendation Medal for his service in the Marine Corps. Dennis can be reached at dennis.stevens@there-thinkgroup.com.

Josh: Thank you so much for sharing your background and experience with the pmStudent community Dennis! How did you get your start in Project Management?

Dennis:  From 1985-around 1995 I was a successful developer, lead and architect. I had delivered systems in RPG II and III, C++, Perl, and  later Java using multiple life-cycle approaches. I was involved in a number of projects that went sideways, and was successful through  will, hard work and determination. One night, as I was delivering a release just before year end 1996 I looked at the business manager on  the project and said, “There has to be a better way to do this.” I had written my last line of production code. I began to read every thing I could find on Project Management and earned my PMP in 1998. I have since earned my OPM3 Certified Consultant designation and complete the Certified Scrum Master course this year.  I have been involved in 20+ successful projects now in a project leadership role.

Josh: Who do you look up to and have learned a lot from in relation to Project Management?

Dennis: I am reminiscing over my book shelf and PM experiences.

• Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s book Critical Chain was eye-opening to me. That and The Goal should be read by everyone trying to manage any process.
• Hal Macomber over at Reforming Project Management introduced me to the works of Fernando Flores, Humberto Maturana, and John Searles which gave me great insight into understanding why people perform they way they do on projects.
• Dick Billows’ Managing Complex Projects was useful from a practical application standpoint.
• Harold Kerzner brings detail to the traditional approach to Project Management.
• Anything Stephen McConnell writes is useful.
• If you are managing software then Johanna Rothman, Jim Highsmith, Kent Beck, Jeff Sutherland, and Alistair Cockburn are good resources to learn from.

Josh: How do you manage internal conflicts between members of the your team?

Dennis: At the end of the day we are all getting paid by the company to deliver a project – I expect the team to remember that and act accordingly.I do believe everyone has a story and it should be heard. So I will hear everyone’s story. But then, I work to meet each person’s needs while keeping everyone focused on the project objectives. Also, don’t let conflict fester – address it directly. Finally, manage your own emotions and intentions and hold yourself and everyone to the companies best interest.

Josh: What are your thoughts on management vs leadership?

Dennis: Other than a bit of necessary administration, it’s all about leadership.

• Create an environment for people to be successful.
• Keep everyone focused on the bigger goal.
• Facilitate shared understanding and coordination.
• Let the experts figure out the best way to do their jobs.

4 Comments Continue reading