Fissure eNewsletter
Volume 4
November 2004
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Public Workshops:
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Nov 30-Dec 2
Jan 10-12
Feb 28-March
2
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Nov 8-10
Dec
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Feb 7-9
Leadership & Change Management
Simulation:
Jan 24-25
PMP Exam
Prep:
Dec 10
March 18
MS
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Jan 21
March 14
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"Out
of the Mouth of Babes"
a column where PM & Family intersect
PROJECT
PARENTHOOD
"CPM - Conscious Parenting Mindset"
by Geof
Lory
Many who have read my articles or listened to me
speak snicker at the thought that I would actually employ project management
practices in my role as a parent. They may laugh just because they find what I
say humorous, but they don't usually believe that I really do think and behave
that way. Either that, or they are sure that my wife is a living saint. But, as
I stated in my last article, "Who's in Charge Here?," I don't really manage my children. I lead and
guide them.
In my role as a parent, finding the right balance of
structure and rules (to point developing children in a positive direction) and
freedom (to afford some "learning by failure") has been and continues to be my
greatest challenge. Rarely is it exactly perfect, and when it is close it seems
to last for only a fleeting moment before the next situation requires a new
balance point. Such is the dynamic life of a parent. Does any of this sound
familiar in your role as a project manager?
In my work as a project
coach, helping companies strike this balance is no less challenging. Given that
they are expecting me to have all the answers, the heat gets turned up as high
as managing a house full of teenage boys and girls at a New Year's Eve party,
raging hormones and all. But, we'll save that story for another time -- a real
lesson in expectation management.
So, how do you do it? There is a basic
premise asserted by Dietrich Dorner in the book The Logic of Failure that
humans, when making a change, tend to overreact. Who among us hasn't turned the
thermostat all the way to 80 degrees hoping that it will heat up the house
faster, only to turn it down 30 minutes later when we are running around the
house in our shorts? OK, maybe I'm the only one who has ever done that, but you
get my point. Change usually involves implementing some process that is new or
different from the existing process, if there even is a process to begin with.
Process is a tremendous tool for steering the ship, but it creates no
energy by itself. People create the energy. Yet without structure (process) the
energy is rarely maximized. So, when attempting to improve performance and
productivity, and searching for the balance between process and people, I work
from a framework that is rooted in principles. Then, I develop the structure
that consciously conveys those principles. I'll call these activities surface
structure because I know framework is an overused word, perhaps
replacing paradigm as the new buzzword. (I for one am thankful for that
since I could never spell "paradigm" anyway.) A framework or surface structure
is nothing more than a common sense set of behaviors that displays a set of
underlying principles and values.
When creating appropriate surface
structures, I try to remain as conscious as I can and follow a continually
evolving process that clearly and effectively embodies my values as a project
manager and as a parent. As a parent, I don't really follow a formal
methodology, but if I were to decompose my behaviors and document my personal
surface structures (certainly not beyond my anal tendencies), you could probably
see one in action. Here's what it would look like. It's my own CPM: Conscious
Parenting Mindset.
- Be clear about intent. Call it
envisioning, scoping, inception, whatever. If I don't know where I am going it
shows up in my inability to stand behind the effort I put forth in leading my
team or family. We'll look at this a little closer in the first of a series of
articles to be published later on CPM in, "Are We There Yet?"
- Think ahead. I try to think about
what I am going to do before I do it. A form of planning, this can avoid rework,
which in the case of children usually turns up as therapy bills later in life.
I'm pretty certain the incident when I accidentally killed Sparky the goldfish
while cleaning the fishbowl will be good for at least three sessions with Dr.
Feelgood. More detail on this and on managing expectations in "A Man with a
Plan."
- Do it. At some point you just don't
know what you don't know, and more thinking gets you no farther along the path.
You've hit the planning point of diminishing returns, where additional time
spent thinking does not save time or reduce risk in doing. Decide to do it or
not to do it, but move forward. Plenty on this in "Nikkie - Just Do It!"
- Learn to stay fluid. What you think
was going to happen rarely comes off as planned, so keep your eyes on the goal
and ride it out. I have some interesting thoughts on this in "Going with the
Flow."
- Bring it full circle. In spite of the
outcome of any endeavor, there is always the opportunity to take something away
from it and learn. If we take the time and are willing to go there, we can learn
as much if not more from our less-than-perfect performances. I'll try to cover
some of this in "Are We Having Fun Yet?"
I haven't flow-charted my methodology yet (mostly because there is a
major family debate during Sunday dinners about whether we should use a
waterfall diagram or a spiral, and until that is resolved no progress will be
made). So I am proposing a new diagram, or more like an image. It is a series of
Cs connected like the Barrel of Monkeys we used to play with as kids. The Cs are
connected like the arms of the monkeys to form a circle. I would diagram it, but
then it would be real and it is probably better to allow it to exist only in
your mind. I know it is clearer in my mind. There will be more on these Cs and
what they mean in "C-ing is Believing."
I hope you will enjoy this
integrated series of articles as it unfolds over the next several months. It
flows like I do as a parent - a general plan guided by common sense, with the
details surfacing only as they are needed.
As always, your feedback and
story ideas are both welcomed and encouraged.
Geof Lory is a Partner for GTD Consulting,
LLC, an information technology
consulting and training firm based in St. Paul, Minn. Geof is a Master Trainer
for the Microsoft Solutions Framework, Master Trainer for the entire CompTIA
Project Management and Project + curriculum, and is a certified guide for
Fissure Simulation Workshops. As a member of the beta teams for MSF, Gartner,
and the Fissure Project Management Simulation products, Geof has developed
specialized workshops that integrate the common principles and disciplines with
organizational tools.
With 20
years of project management experience, Geof clearly reveals a passion for his
craft in all settings and applies his experiences in a fashion that is both
entertaining and educational.
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