Our experts provide peace of mind during competing priorities, emerging deadlines, and frequent changes with efficient and practical solutions.
Our experts provide a peace of mind during competing priorities, meeting deadlines / targets, and frequent changes with efficient and practical solutions.
articles
Project Management
Have you Ever Worked on a Project Where the Scope Significantly Changed from the Original Statement of Work?
“According to the Project Management Institute (PMI) 2018 Pulse of the Profession 52 % of projects completed in the last 12 months experienced scope creep or uncontrolled changes to the project's scope—up from 43 percent five years ago.”
Although scope creep occurs often, careful attention is required to effectively manage change. Project managers and organization leaders should focus on avoiding extended deadlines and increased cost. Let us talk about why it happens,
Scope creep can occur for several reasons, including:
1. Lack of comprehensive specification and setting expectations.
Recommendation:
- Document comprehensive requirements, understand end to end workflow and ask clarifying questions to customer.
- Share project roadmaps so they can clearly identify all stakeholders to whom the project team should be talking to define scope.
- Plan for risks from the beginning, and consider having a back-up plan if something comes up unexpected.
- Obtain sign – off on system mockups and wireframes, identify and closely manage change request log.
- Clearly define the product limitations.
- Establish proper communication logistics with your customer – decide when to meet and how many calls you can take in a week, frequent is best.
- Ensure you plan for project growth.
Recommendation: Create a flexible model incorporating new features and discuss extra cost. The customer may later require additional support earning your company more revenue.
3. Disorganized reporting system.
Recommendation: Ensure a proper reporting system to track project development, risks, issues, and changes. Use project management software with built in time tracking for risk / issues, alert features, hard stops for changes and user history (e.g., Jira, Liquid Planner, Monday.com) Reconcile work with Requirements Traceability Matrix, Project Plan, and estimations, address any out of scope work request.
4. Stick to schedule.
Recommendation: Time management is essential! Drive completion of tasks on time, report and mitigate roadblocks. Sometimes you have to say no to your manager or client to ensure non-essential changes are avoided to prevent missed deadlines and increased cost.
Download our leading practice Project Plan, Change Request Log, Requirements Management Plan and Requirements Traceability Matrix templates here!
Why are Companies Moving to Agile Project Management Methodologies?
“In projects with evolving requirements, high risk, or significant uncertainty (usually software projects), the scope is not often understood at the beginning of the project. Agile (adaptive) methods spend less time trying to define and agree on scope in the early stage of a project and spend more time establishing the process for its ongoing discovery and refinement. Many organizations find a gap between the real business requirements and the business requirements originally stated. Therefore, they use Agile methodologies to build and review prototypes and release multiple iterations to refine requirements.” – Project Management Institute
Scrum and Kanban are commonly used Agile methodologies adopted by several organizations.
Project managers can offer structure, guidance, and drive execution of Agile projects across industries to improve outcomes of scope, cost, and quality metrics.
Agile Key Elements:
- Segmented into a sequence of stages called iterations, each iteration follows project management 5 core phases (planning, initiating, executing, monitor & controlling, closing), phases are repeatedly performed for each iteration.
- Continuous overlapping of phases.
- Variations in how project management phases interact.
- Initiating – revalidate project charter frequently, changing dynamics may impact constraints and success of project so initiating processes are performed regularly to move project along, it’s imperative to have knowledgeable stakeholders provide feedback on evolving deliverable on a continuous basis (daily 15 min stand up meetings, weekly iteration status meetings).
- Planning – high level plans for initial requirements and further elaboration after iterations completed.
- Executing – work performed in short, time fixed iterations or sprints (2-4 weeks), sessions are held with key stakeholders for feedback and to share completed work.
- Monitor & controlling – manage backlog (ordered list of all work, presented in a story form) to track progress of iterations, communicate technical dependencies, and manage change request, project metrics are measured frequently against iterations.
- Closing – prioritize highest business items first to reduce impact of premature closure.
If you are new to Agile and need more information, check out articles, trainings and webinars on PMI and LinkedIn sites – robust information is available for novice and experienced project managers
Glossary
Predictive life cycle – more traditional approach, with bulk of planning upfront, then executing in a single pass, a sequential process.
Iterative life cycle – an approach that allows feedback for unfinished work to improve or modify that work.
Incremental life cycle – an approach that provides finished deliverables that customer may be able to use immediately.
Agile life cycle – Approach that is both iterative and incremental to refine work items and deliver frequently.
Story / User Story – software system requirement expressed in a few short sentences.
Wondering How the WBS differs from Requirements, Scope of Work and Project Plan?
You are not alone! The WBS process is a component of all three, let’s review its key elements and purpose.
WBS includes subdividing project deliverables and project work into more manageable components.
Inputs
- Project management plan (scope management section).
- Project documents (project scope statement, requirements document).
- Enterprise environmental factors (industry specific WBS standards).
- Organizational process assets (policies, procedures, previous project files).
- Expert Judgment.
- Decomposition – dividing and subdividing project scope and deliverables into smaller parts.
- Scope baseline.
- Project documents updates (assumption log, requirements documentation).
Structure WBS as an outline, an organizational chart, or other methods that identifies a hierarchical breakdown.
- Define the outline of the entire project.
- Identify the main deliverables below the finished project.
- Divide each deliverable into sub-tasks until the last level can be measurable (in terms of budget and resources).
- Follow 100% rule – the sum of the “child tasks” must equal to the work the “parent tasks”.
- Use exclusive units and define by deliverables.
Example 100% rule
Example WBS
Jumpstart your WBS using software like Lucidchart, MatchWare, or Edraw to reduce time!
https://www.edrawsoft.com/work-breakdown-structure-software.html?msclkid=2cf28b7480571f69800ad44f84aHow to Develop Project Status Reporting and Importance of Accuracy?
Doing weekly project status reports will help keep all stakeholders in the loop and aligned on how your project is progressing. It should highlight 2-3 key milestones, previous week accomplishments, next 2 weeks planned actions and risks / issues with a mitigation plan.
Irrelevant information not linked to key milestones, lack of standard template use, inaccurate data, inconsistent risks, and issues follow up are some of the pitfalls to poor project reporting. Don’t lose credibility with your customer by following key steps below:
- Use a professional template with standardized formatting, font, colors design.
- Leverage information from project plan, RAID log, change log and meeting minutes (follow up items) – ensure information is accurate and up to date, indicate if project is on or off track, confirm with task owners.
- Use executive high-level messaging, concise language, and avoid wordiness, dense content.
- Use charts, tables, or graphs from accurate data, validate with analyst and task owners, avoid use of too much data and show pertinent relationship between variables.
- Review all content with key task owners, elicit additional information, make multiple iterations until client ready.
- Send final draft to client project sponsor and other meeting attendees as a pre-read 24 to 48 hours prior to meeting, make modifications if requested.
- Assign a note taker to document recommendations, new ideas, task status, next steps, and other applicable information during status meeting.
- During status meeting engage audience on open action times, risks, and issues, drive next steps and secure owners.
- Send meeting minutes within 24 hours of status meeting with associated documents and links.
Download our leading practice Project Status Report, Change Request Log, RAID Log, Meeting Minutes, Meeting Minutes Tracker templates here!
How Do you Manage Change and Communication for Multi-level Management Organizations During a Transformation?
Implementing change in any organization is complex; however, critical for customer satisfaction, financial security, and growth. Using leading practice change management techniques, you can begin to understand how a transformation will impact your organization and how the people will build cultural acceptance and sustain results well beyond implementation.
Change management refers to a set of activities that prepare and lead the organization through the change in a planned way. Change is a journey and the objectives in each transformation phase are targeted to move the organization from awareness through commitment. Along the way, measurement of change readiness will identify stakeholders who may need support in successfully maneuvering through the Change Commitment Cycle.
The Change Management and Communication Plan provides a structured schedule, methodology and toolset to prepare your organization for the upcoming change. Elements of change will provide staff and stakeholders with an understanding of how they will be affected, and the information needed to move through the “Change Commitment Cycle” to ensure buy-in.
Developing a Change Management and Communication Plan
It is helpful to understand various models and what will work best for your organization. Once a model is chosen, it’s time to document change and communication activities, discuss with identified sponsors and then start change implementation!
Change Management Models
The Change Curve & Usage
Stage 1 – Individuals initial response may be shock.
Recommendation: Most critical stage of communication, provide clarity and answer questions in small doses.
Stage 2 – Negative response once reality of change accepted (fear, perceived threats, anger), can lead to chaos.
Recommendation: Consider impacts and objections people may have, develop standardized messaging and plan to address concerns, dispel myths from truth.
Stage 3 – Individuals start to let go of the old way and accept the changes, testing and exploring what the change mean.
Recommendation: Develop and launch training, it will take time for people to learn and execute the new process, foster a healthy learning environment without punitive repercussions.
Stage 4 – Accept and embrace change fully.
Recommendation: Encourage discussions about successes and lessons learned, leverage for future projects.
Lewin Change Management
Stage 1 – Unfreeze (allow behavior, systems, and process change to happen).
Recommendation: Explain the need for change, multiple and standardized communication methods critical.
Stage 2 – Change (organization accepts change plan, transitioning to new way).
Recommendation: Ensure leaders and staff take an active role in changes.
Stage 3 – Refreeze (Change fully adopted).
Recommendation: Manage consistency and monitor for reinforcements as needed.
Beckhard and Harris Change Equation
It states that for change to happen successfully, the following statement must be true:
Dissatisfaction x Vision x Practicality > Resistance to Change.
Dissatisfaction –Your team must feel dissatisfied with the current situation before a successful change can take place. Without dissatisfaction, no one will likely feel very motivated to change. Communicate risks, issues, and impact if things remain the same.
Vision –The proposed solution must be attractive, and people need to understand what it is. If your team doesn't have a clear vision of what things will be like after the change, and why things will be better, then they probably won't be willing to work to deliver it. The clearer and more detailed you make this vision, the more likely it is that your team will want to agree with the change and move forward.
First Steps –Your team must be convinced that the change is realistic and executable, allow them to help shape vision and participate in developing steps.
Resistance to Change – Resistance to change includes people's beliefs in the limits of the change, stubbornness toward any change, or lack of interest at the beginning.
By far the most effective method of dealing with resistance is to engage stakeholders in shaping the elements on the left side of the change equation. By involving stakeholders in assessing the need for change (Dissatisfaction) creating a Vision of a preferred future, and determining First Steps toward achieving the vision, the system not only becomes richer in wisdom and passion, but many real or potential concerns about the change will be addressed.
Required Sections for Change Management and Communication Plan
Component | Description |
Stakeholder / Sponsorship Strategy |
|
Communications Strategy |
|
Organization Design |
|
Workforce Transition Management |
|
Training and Performance Support |
|
Transition and Business Readiness |
|
Culture and Branding |
|
Care Management Program & Quality
Lack of staff performance and meeting departmental metrics are attributed to people, process and / or technology gaps. It’s common for organizations to have inconsistent views where most of the challenges fall. It’s best to perform a thorough assessment to identify what’s working well and opportunities across departments by interviewing executive leadership, management, and frontline staff. At some point you will discover effective training will be one of your key recommendations.
“To remain economically competitive for the long term, organizations that upskill or reskill their workforce are at an advantage. Working adults who participate in flexible, accessible learning programs to improve their skills may display better career performance” according to Association for Talent Development (ATD).
Leading Practice Training Considerations
- Get buy in from managers and directors, develop training announcement communication messaging for staff (train the trainer).
- Address industry gap trends – currently communication, critical thinking and managerial skills are lacking, focus on soft skills.
- Emphasize roles & responsibilities with clear delineation, walkthrough expectations and metrics, use case scenarios and “Day in Life” illustrations.
- Conduct short 30 min Just in Time Training (JIT) that focus on a new or modified process, leverage staff meeting time or a lunch and learn to lessen negative impact on productivity.
- Offer self-paced online courses with built in checkpoints to increase retention and compliance.
- Offer virtual training with multiple time slots.
- Ensure classroom training include:
- Ice breaker to introduce participants and break silence.
- Interactive activities – checkpoints after each section, group activities and games (critical).
- Answer questions throughout training with immediate response to promote retention.
- Use screenshots for system features, workflows and any other relevant information that is better communicated via visuals.
- Provide 15 to 30 minutes desk to desk demonstration / coaching sessions – very effective after classroom training, measure competency.
- Make additional resources available staff can leverage at their leisure (e.g. desk aides, cheat sheets, checklist, workflows, copy of training, policies, manuals, etc.).
- Develop staff competency tools – perform ongoing monitoring, use remediation plan as needed.
Download our leading practice Training Presentation and Care Management Programs & Quality templates here!
“Empowerment is based on the idea that giving employees skills, resources, authority, opportunity, motivation, as well holding them responsible and accountable for outcomes of their actions, will contribute to their competence and satisfaction.”–Association for Talent Development (ATD)
So How Do You Move Empowerment from Theory to Reality?
Share information
Talk to your staff daily. Let them know what is going on at the highest levels. Share the vision and their role in helping your company reach that vision. “Acknowledge the challenges you are facing and let them know the plan to overcome those challenges. LISTEN to your staff; let the information sharing flow both ways. Understand what is going on within the workplace from their perspective.” – ATD
Provide effective role training
A well-trained team stands out and demonstrates quality. Its critical for leaders to consider generational impact, for example millennial are more ambitious than any other generation of workers, they have high aspirations toward their current employment and future. In addition, they have significant exposure to internet, social media advancements and expect everything to be at their fingertips. “Organizations need a career architecture that is fluid, adaptive, and agile as organization structures are evolving rapidly. Gone are the Henry Ford Industrial Revolution days of everyone having a rigid job title and defined deliverables that did not allow or require any kind of fluidity, flexibility, or creativity.” – ADT
Offer career development opportunities
Some individuals already know what they want to do while others are still figuring things out. Formal career development programs (e.g., internship, succession planning, role progression) allow staff to identify their talents and grow them. Today’s workforce is characterized by making multiple contributions to the organization via scrums, agile projects that are matched to the unique talent-sets that an individual brings. With career pathing, a concept of highlighting a staff talents and aspirations to map further learning and employment opportunities, organizations’ needs can more appropriately be matched with workers’ desires. It is also beneficial to offer pathways to external development resources, especially if your organization internal resources have curriculum gaps.
Mentoring
The top benefits to organizations with formal mentoring programs are higher employee engagement and retention. Mentoring allows experienced staff to guide others through their career development journey and serve as an ongoing resource.
Allow autonomy
It’s proven micromanaged staff is not effective and results in passive aggressive behavior, feeling of incompetence, stress, and overall unhealthy working environment. Leaders can ease performance concerns by delivering effective training, efficient workflows, clear policies, and procedures.
Hold staff accountable
Providing clear expectations to staff regarding roles and responsibilities allows them to take ownership. Leaders will benefit from use of Responsible, Accountable, Consult, Inform (RACI) matrix, scorecards, and performance reports.
Give praise and recognition often
Recognition makes anyone feel valued, appreciated, and good. It’s important for leaders to understand various types of recognition that appeals to their staff, for example, bonuses, raises, time off, promotions, newsletter announcements, gifts, certificates, and charity donations. Leaders who think compensation is the most preferred recognition is a big mistake and untrue.
Remember When Staff Feels Good, They will Produce More!
Download our leading practice Training and Operations Assessment presentation templates here!
Winning Presentation
Knowing how to communicate with specific audiences before a presentation at work will increase your engagement, retention, and penetration outcomes. The goal of a presenter is to educate individuals about new or updated information that will stay in their minds!
Appropriate Communication Messaging
It’s advantageous to know the type of language and level of detail that appeals to common groups at you place of work.
Executive leaders
This group is interested in facts supported by data, they will use information to make product, financial and growth strategy key decisions. It is best to avoid granular detail, bucket information in a few categories and use high level language, short concise statements are best received.
Management
This group is focused on operations and staff performance status. They are expected to drive work execution and meet enterprise targets. It is best to provide grouped, aggregate level information. Reference staff performance and operational summary reports.
Frontline staff
This group is engaged by roles and responsibilities information. Provide very detailed language at a task level. Reference workflows, policies, procedures, and training aides.
Soft Word Examples
Your audience will respond well to empowering, supportive and non-intimidating language. Remember to use soft words!
Original Word / Statement | Replacement |
No / none | Inconsistent, variable, lack of, limited, partial |
Issue / problem / wrong | Opportunity, challenges, gap |
Not interested or focused | Lack of engagement |
Urgent | Time sensitive, quickly |
Late | Delayed |
Not proactive | Reactive |
Doing poor | At risk |
Not right | Inappropriate, ineffective, insufficient |
Low | Decreased, reduced |
Not clear / confusion | Ambiguity, undefined |
Better | Enhanced, improved |
You need to | Consider |
A lot / too many | Excessive, numerous |
Had nothing to do with this | Lacks relevance |
Get together | Collaborate, integrate, coordinate |
Must | Imperative |
Now | At this moment |
What need to be done | Expectations |
Think bigger | Broaden, expand, envision |
Need to follow | Adapt |
Be strong | Practice resilience, stay firm |
Don’t worry | Practice calmness |
Don’t put your audience to sleep! Reading slides verbatim with NO background / context examples, NO ice breakers to introduce participants, NO change in voice pitch, NO group activities or knowledge checks, NOT allowing questions during a presentation are real communication KILLERS!
Keep your audience Stimulated + Awakened + Engaged +
“Adult attention span is somewhere between 18-to-20 minutes, but twenty minutes is a decent and practical rough idea. Some people can hold their attention even longer, but they are outliers. After twenty minutes, no matter how interested your audience is, their focus is depleted, and will unless corrective action is taken erode steadily until they literally aren’t listening any longer.”– The Art of Keynote Speaking
To avoid losing your audience, lets discuss ways to facilitate active learning, repetition, and recall.
Ice Breaker Introduction
Participants already have some reservations, possible resistance, fear and / or competing priorities before attending your training presentation. The best way to help them let their guards down is by starting off with a fun, non-intimidating introduction of themselves. Asking everyone to mention their funniest moment, best vacation destination, favorite celebrity, or what animal they most identify with are great ways to do this. You will witness laughter, smiles, warmness, and automatic synergy before getting into intense material.
Group Activities / Knowledge Checks
We now know adults have short attention spans and retain data better if presented in small chunks, so make sure each topic is discussed no longer than 20 minutes if possible. After each section jog their memory by asking 2-3 key questions referred to as “knowledge checks”. This promotes participation and stimulates your audience minds. It also alerts those who lost engagement to refocus!
Games
Adults are still kids at heart and enjoy competitive games to showcase their knowledge. They also appreciate awards and prizes to recognize their achievement. Presenters should include at least 1 game to maintain engagement and have some much needed fun to interrupt boredom. Some popular games that work well include, Jeopardy, Kahoot, AhaSlides, and WooClap. Make sure questions and answers are not too complicated; most participants should be able to answer all questions in a short period of time if they are engaged.
Question Fluidity
Although some presenters request questions at the end of the presentation based on time constraints, this is not the best method. Remember retention is not easy, allowing someone to ask a question related to the current topic and providing a response is more effective. This will also stimulate the group to generate additional questions, you should choose the best level of detail to produce clarity. Individuals feel more empowered when they can ask questions throughout a presentation without feeling restricted or that their thoughts are not prioritized. Questions are very healthy and demonstrates the audience is thinking and stimulated, optimize that moment while you have their attention. Don’t be afraid of questions, be prepared by anticipating questions that could be asked and documenting prior to presentation. If you don’t know an answer, inform the participants you will follow up within a specific timeframe and do so.
Download our leading practice Training presentation template here!
Career Search & Interview Preparation
Submitting a few applications with no communication with hiring managers, current employees, or experts in your network and expecting to quickly land a job is a thing of the past! Networking is the catalyst to building relationships with various individuals who can share industry knowledge, provide guidance, and connect you with decision makers to advance your career. Organizations have suffered greatly from hiring individuals lacking skills, not meeting productivity targets, deficient in cultural competence and resisting change. They are collaborating with human resource leaders to eliminate these occurrences and relying on employee referral programs.
“Building a strong network can help you get ahead in your career in more ways than one. The most obvious way networking helps build your career is that most people look to their networks first when hiring or looking for contractors or consultants. In fact, 57 percent of jobs are filled through a networking contact, and employee referrals and networking sites are two of the top ways companies report finding candidates to fill open positions. The reason for this is simple: there’s a much greater employee retention rate for employees who were hired as a result of networking—eight years on average with a referral, as opposed to four years without. You can expect to earn about 6 percent more when you are hired as a result of a referral, as well.” – Association for Talent Development (ATD)
Recommendations
- Use LinkedIn as a primary networking tool – has over 548 million users worldwide, 70% fortune 500 CEOs choose this platform as first and only social network, online presence is growing and prioritized by hiring managers.
- Regularly update your online profiles, leads to 18x more views.
- Conduct face to face meetings with individuals in your network – don’t just focus on your needs, inquire about their well-being, and offer them support as well.
- Bypass gatekeepers and get in front of decision makers – contact hiring managers directly instead of recruiters, find contact information on company website, telephone directory, check "Reference USA Business Directories Online and EBSCO Business Source / EBSCO Reginal Business News".
- Join professional groups (e.g., PMI, SHRM, ADT, AMA, NLN, NAA, ABC, BPA, CFDA).
- Join community groups offering networking events.
- Utilize alumni career counseling services, take advantage of opportunities to connect with employers who are actively recruiting.
- Stay in sync with your network on a regular basis –send emails, acknowledge their professional networking site comments, blogs, etc.
Other Benefits of Networking
- Receive compensation from referrals.
- Connects you with mentors.
- Land a job quicker.
- Allows you to receive transparent information about a company from current and past employees.
- Fosters professional and personal growth.
“The best part about being human is that we have a choice in what we think, how we feel, and how we choose to act. And being confident, is an essential component for anyone looking for success in their career. Confidence at the workplace is knowing what you’re good at and the values you provide to the organization. In reality, self-confidence is often a more important asset than skill and knowledge, or even experience. Anytime we step into the zone of certainty and confidence, it gives us a sense of power, strength and help us to evolve as a better person. As with everything in life, being confident or timid, happy or sad are all choices.”- Career Geek
Were you ever intrigued by someone who was Successful, Authoritative, Demand Respect, Poised, Well-groomed, an Advocate, with Principles and Did the Right Thing? It is not surprising because these individuals are "Distinguished!"
In the workplace confident people don’t think much, they execute work quickly. They are not shy about sharing any new ideas that can lead to progress in the organization. They are reassuring to others, provide leading practice recommendations, trustworthy, and build healthy relationships.
Think about who you are and add the skills below to build or maintain a high confidence level:
- Become self aware – this is critical, before you can develop yourself you need to know what you stand for and what you want, it brings clarity to your life.
- Self Acceptance – don’t compare yourself to others, be proud of who you are, don’t resist what you don’t like but find ways to get through it, accept yourself and others to eliminate judging.
- Have clarity – indecisiveness creates confusion and stimulate insecurities.
- Don’t tolerate toxic people – set boundaries and know that you don’t have to be impacted by their negative mood.
- Don’t be afraid to celebrate your success and others success – do not mistaken with boasting or bragging which lead to resentment from others.
- Prioritize what’s most important – do what is necessary, you cannot do everything, knowing what to focus on prevents stress and burnout.
- Take responsibility – only you can get yourself what you want, don’t make your happiness someone else’s responsibility.
- Never give up – failures are lessons designed to help you refocus, this is a positive process, no need to beat yourself up.
- Lift up others – embrace cooperativeness instead of competition, empowering others allow you to refine and further develop your craft.
- Stay positive – keep your light shining.
Download our leading practice Career Story and Problem Action Result (PAR) Story templates here!
Our Partners
| |
Address: Georgia
2090 Lawrenceville Suwanee Rd, Suite A - 541
Suwanee, GA 30024
Hours of Operation
Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday to Sunday: Closed
Service Area
Serving Health Plans in All of the United States
| |
