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"Pilot programs,
carefully articulated change programs and a facilitative tack
tend to spur more interest than, "Follow me, I have the answer."
Project management is a better mousetrap.
It boosts productivity, fattens the bottom line and helps churn
out products and services faster, cheaper and better. It wipes
out rework and instills project players with team spirit and motivation.
Everybody should leap on the project band-wagon. Project management
is wonderful!
Does everybody believe that? Members
of the project "choir" believe fervently. It's a bit
like religion: You don't question it. After you're involved, you
assume it's good for you.
This gut conviction that the project approach is the way to go
sometimes spurs project management pep squads to over-aggressively
spread the word. In spite of the nobility of the cause, danger
lurks for those who push the project cause with evangelical fervor.
Dark consequences may result from overzealous flogging of the
theme.
At my talks on enterprise project management given at sundry global
crossroads, some victims of ill-advised "project management
marketing" strategies shared their difficulties, frustrations
and even some "crash-and-burn" experiences. That's where
I developed the five ways not to pitch project management. In
fact, these tactics are almost guaranteed to sabotage your attempts
at promoting project management.
1. Assume others will pick up
quickly on your ideas. Because people sift through new
ideas in different ways, some might not grab the message the way
you put it across. They also may need some time to ponder. After
all, you have been reflecting and scheming about the topic for
a long time. So, don't expect an immediate conversion to the "project
management religion."
2. Don't worry about the stakeholders. They make
or break any kind of project. The "play-it-by-ear" tack
at stakeholder management is a springboard for immediate doom.
In fact, it takes a big-time stakeholder approach to convince
people with a functional mind set to embrace the project way of
doing things.
3. Champion the cause so you
can be the hero. The flag-waving approach to promoting
project management normally sets off resistance rather than buy-in.
Pilot programs, carefully articulated change programs and a facilitative
tack tend to spur more interest than, "Follow me, I have
the answer.""Pilot programs, carefully articulated change
programs and a facilitative tack tend to spur more interest than,
"Follow me, I have the answer."
4. Push for a project office (PO) at the highest of levels.
Many a good intention has gone awry because project management
change agents set their targets too high. While "strategic
project offices" reporting to the chief executive officer
normally make substantial contributions to company causes, high-level
political consensus is needed to make such power-packed POs a
reality. Remember, the higher the reporting level of the PO, the
greater the probability of running into crippling political land
mines.
5. Confuse ignorance with opposition.
If people resist your overtures, it doesn't necessarily
mean they are against your program. They may be uninformed or
unaware of the potential benefits. Don't assume people are against
you just because they fail to leap on the bandwagon immediately.
Create a communication plan that provides stakeholders with appropriate
information.
You might be thinking, "Who could
possibly make such dumb mistakes?" In fact, lots of people.
The "middle-up" champions - those who try to sell the
concept upwards within the company - often are guilty of committing
these travesties. Upper managers sometimes overestimate their
"oomph" and discover that pitching a concept that differs
from business-as-usual is not as easy as they had thought.
The projectized approach definitely is on the upswing. In a market
that demands more and more different types of projects completed
faster, cheaper and better, what other way is there for companies
to survive and prosper than to manage projects more effectively?
Having truth on your side, however, does not make it easy. In
fact, the very nature of project management - with its strong
focus on results - makes some people uncomfortable. Because people
have different views about the benefits of the project approach,
and because communications issues and company politics are so
heavily involved, be sure to take special precautions. Beware of the
five ways not to pitch project management in your organization!
Paul C. Dinsmore, PMP, PMI Fellow, is the author of seven books including the AMA Handbook
of Project Management [AMACOM, 1993] and Winning in Business with
Enterprise Project Management [AMACOM, 1998]. He is president
of Dinsmore Associates, with world headquarters based in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. Reach him by e-mail at dinsmore@dinsmore.com.br.
Originally Published in the PM Network
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