7 Ways to Be a Better Project Manager When You Aren’t One

Source: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2013/10/03/7-ways-to-be-a-better-project-manager-when-you-arent-one/

Whether you have the title of Project Manager or not, it is vital for you to adopt certain principles if you want to thrive in the work place. This article describes how the rapid increase in the use of online social media and tools has transformed the work place into a much more collaborative environment. This collaborative environment requires employees to act like a project manager by proxy. I was drawn to this article because although I am not a project manager per se, I recognize the importance of having the skill set that a good project manager has.

The first way to become a better project is to be “Mr. or Mrs. Fix It” when encountering a problem. Heading up the most pressing issues can inspire a team and increase their level in confidence in you as a leader. I have always believed that it is best to nip something in bud as soon as it arises, but I think it is also important to approach problems tactfully. 

The article next talks about the importance of having a thorough understanding of what the project is. Personally, I have a hard time with the planning part of a project. As soon I think that I might understand what is being asked of me, I tend to jump right into it and fix my mistakes as I go that otherwise could have been avoided if I spent more time planning. Do you put a greater emphasis on the planning or action phase of a project?

The author next talks about how easy being compulsively organized has become through the use of collaboration software. I use google docs all the time for group projects and the like, and I could not agree more. Everyone being able to collaborate in one place with collaboration softwares has made staying organized and on-task easier than ever. Do you believe in the power of face-to-face meetings or is online collaboration something you would prefer? Why?

Not letting your team coast is the next way to improve your project management skills. The author argues that the project manager should not only focus on team members strongest areas, but areas with room for development. Having to learn and research as you go can inspire innovation and a new/better way to do something.

The importance of being assertive goes hand-in-hand with being Mr. or Mrs. Fix It. If there is an issue or you’re not satisfied with someones performance, addressing the matter right away is the best way to handle it. Give a clear explanation of what you want from them when you approach them.

I think many people confuse an assertive manager with one who is trying to micromanage. An effective manager will be assertive when approaching someone, but will help them correct the issue. This will usually give them ability to work autonomously for the remainder of the task at hand. I have worked for people who like to micromanage because they believe it limits room for error. I disagree and believe that mistakes are a good thing that provide a learning opportunity. Do you prefer to be micro or macro managed?

Perhaps the best way to improve your management skills is to “always have their back”. Do your best to encourage ingenuity and make it clear that mistakes are hardly ever a bad thing. To quote the great Bruce Lee, “the master has failed more times than the beginner has ever tried”. What are your thoughts on the importance of mistakes and how to approach them as a project manager?

 

 

 

 

The Retuen of the Ice Age

Operations management is one of the three most important things to understand when learning the functions of an organization. Learning more about operations management helps us learn more about understand how organizations work and how people organize themselves. I honestly do think that being able to understand and organize are very important skills to know when managing anything. Operations management is also a very costly part of the organization.

The past few weeks have being interesting. The only job that I had I recently had, but I also recently quit. I was working at Chipotle Mexican Grill during the summer. I only worked there for a month, but a month was good enough for me to learn more about the company, how the managers work, and I learned more about myself and how I work. It was interesting to see that there are different types of managers. I had a total of three mangers. They didn’t all have the same responsibilities but they had similar responsibilities as in telling employees what they had to do. I noticed that I would only like to do my job that I was supposed to do if a certain manager told me to do. I believe that I would do that because I sometimes wouldn’t like how the manager would talk to me when he would tell me what I had to do. So like I learned in class, some of the basic functions that operation managers do consist of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling.  I definitely saw these function being applied with the employees. The manger had to plan around with the employees and being able to schedule them and they tried their best to work around with the employee’s schedules. The also had to make sure that everything was running smoothly that the throughput was good and that they had all the supplies that the needed to make sure that everything was prepared and ready to go.

I haven’t had a job for longer than a month put I have noticed that some of the skills that I have learned in the class can also apply to any organization. There are many skills that you can learn through participating in organizations at school that you can later apply to your job. These five functions, planning, organizing staffing, leading, and controlling can apply to a job or like previously mention it can also be applied to extracurricular activities. For example, I been involved in organization at DePaul such as DePaul Alliance for Latino Empowerment (DALE) as well as MEChA. I’m also part of a fraternity. In the three organizations that I have been involved with, I know that I have applied these skills.  For example, we have to e able to work with other people that are in the same group to have events, we have to stay organized and make sure that everyone is participating one way or another. In addition we have to make sure that we are staying within our budget. I have definitely improved my skills by being involved with different organizations on campus as well as working at Chipotle.

In what ways have you applied the basic operations in your life? Do you think that they have improved over time? What are your experiences with the basic functions?

Project Coach

coaching-word-cloud I was curious to learn what truly makes a good project manager. Should they know all the ins-and-outs of the project details?  Should they be the expert in the field?  Do they need to be up to date with the newest PM systems? As I read different articles highlighting the skills of a good project manager I couldn’t help but see that these are all the skills of a good coach.

I love analogies so, in the spirit of baseball season, I’ll reiterate the best tips I found referencing both baseball and project management terminology.

When beginning a project or season it’s important to build the structure and confidence of your team:

  • Help people learn and develop: If anyone of your team is not walking in with all necessary skills, as the PM or coach it’s important you get them up to speed.
  • Delegate step-by-step: Clear direction is need on a project as well as on the field.
  • Focus on people’s strengths: Know your team members’ skill sets and place them accordingly.
  • Be supportive: In both roles you should always know what is going on with your team members, remove obstacles, and support them to reach their goals.
  • Embrace failure: “My ability to achieve all my goals is a direct reflection of my ability to overcome all my failures…It’s ok to fail, but you should never quit” (Marcus Luttrell). A lesson can be learned from every loss on the field or failed project. There is always something to be learned.

Building team collaboration was another central theme. Again, all suggestions are necessary skills of a good coach:

  • Aggregate and adapt: Both a good coach and PM should bring ideas to the table, but also be able to adapt to new developments or situations and weave these into their game plan.
  • Listen first: Successful coaches and PMs have a sense of their people, what they are capable of, and then give them space to achieve those results.
  • Energize: No energy around a project or among a team is a quick road to a loss.
  • Remain open:  At times you’ll need to shuffle the lineup, swap positions on the field, or test out new skill set on a project. Without openness and flexibility, you may not be achieving the best results possible.
  • Be transparent: It’s curial for a good coach and PM to provide clear expectations and constant direct communication.
  • Have fun: Enjoyment builds team spirit, drive and collaboration.
  • Transcend insularity: Collaborating as a unit is the only way to fully achieve success.

Both a good coach and a good PM work to build a solid cohesive team and that produces results. When you build a strong team you create stakeholders in the project. This doesn’t mean that they always ‘win’; it means they move forward together and assist one another to achieve a uniform goal. A good coach guides the outcome without ever playing. A skilled Project manager, “bring[s] all aspects of the project together to produce a successful performance and result”(Haughey). Both are aiming for the good of the team and the best possible outcome.

Discussion:
What do you look for in a good project manager?

What do you strive for to be a good project manager ?

What qualities has the best project manager you’ve ever worked with had?
What qualities have your best coaches had?
Are some of these the same? What are the differences?

Do you think that coaching should be necessary skill of a good project manager?
coaching-word-cloud


Sources:

http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/5-steps-to-build-confidence-in-your-team-members.html
http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/7-steps-to-improve-collaboration-in-your-team.html
http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/why-project-managers-should-coach-2.php
http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/better-coaching-using-the-grow-model.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn3GKJgZY80

Why project management fails?

Project failure
Project failure

In an interesting article that I have read called “ why does project management fail?”, the author tries to bring his own experience and theories into play. He starts talking about how many companies question themselves and that they think that project management is just just a mixture of tools and techniques that should guarantee their success.
As we learned in class, project management consists of two parts, the first one is dependent on science which are tools and techniques. The second is that its also an art, it is important to put in our mind that even with the best planing techniques possible, even if we put a contingency for every event, things still go wrong. It is in the art of project management that we learn how to adapt and move on to make something work.
The author goes on explaining that there are some factors which lead to the failure of project management in organisations such as the” Lack of knowledge, lack of organisational policy, lack of enforcement of policy and procedures, lack of consideration for the magnitude and complexities of project management”. It is true that project management tools are only as good as the people who use them and it is a philosophy that would work only if everyone in the organisation or at least the specific project is onboard.
Some times it is better to outsource, if a certain company doesn’t have enough knowledge/resources and doesn’t feel it has the discipline to adopt project management methodology. There are some companies whom specialize in consultancy and project management, in fact outsourcing could save those companies a lot of money and energy as well as add proficiency.
It is also important to look at the role of the project manager himself, we spoke in class about Active and reactive managers. I think that the article focuses on the benefits of active managers and dismisses reactive managers. It is true that being active means that you should be ready for different scenarios and prepare all contingencies in advance, but that is the science part. Reactive management is more like the art part where you would have to work with whats introit of you. A balance of the two is always needed, you don’t want to start a project without any plan, in the same same time you don’t want someone whom wouldn’t know how to respond when something goes wrong and he had no way of putting a contingency plan for it.
Some think that project failure is only due to not being able to deliver to costs or expected quality or even missing the deadline. Those are all valid reasons, but leadership and organisation philosophy is what could be put as the thin line between project success and project failure.

Reference:
http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/why-does-project-management-fail.html

Technology in the Workforce and the Rise of the Nontraditional Work Environment

Technology is changing the way people do business. With applications that create faster overall processes and improved communication, the key to success is often accomplished through the use of the right technology. Managers must be aware of what these changes are and how technology is facilitating them. There are a number of growing trends that demonstrate how the workforce is shifting towards nontraditional work environments and which technologies are being used to support these environments. Remote employees working in virtual work environments are becoming more commonplace in today’s workforce, whether it is through outsourcing work to other countries or US employees based in different geographic locations than their teams/managers. No matter which type of nontraditional work environment, it is clear that technology is a crucial key to success.

There are a number of different tools that a remote or virtual employee can use. Working in teams with people located in different geographic locations requires extra attention on communication. Managers must make sure that remote employees feel included and equal to their non-remote peers. In order to do so, there are a number of technologies that help bridge the geographic gap. Video conferencing allows individuals who are in different physical locations to interact as if they were all in the same place. Having a round-table meeting over video conference allows individuals to express themselves through gestures and expressions. It also creates a sense of familiarity amongst employees since it is a social environment. Another tool is web conferencing, which allows people on different computers to simultaneously view one person’s screen. This allows individuals to host a meeting where they can present to a large group and not have to send out loose documents. Another online tool that allows people in different locations to communicate is Instant Messenger. AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Gchat (Google Chat) and Facebook Chat all allow you to communicate in real time via text with many other individuals simultaneously.

While these technologies have many benefits, a word to the wise is to be aware of everything that comes along with the use of technology in the workforce. On the positive side, technologies like video conferencing and web conferencing allow many different people to get together in one virtual location. Being able to type at the rate of a normal conversation (through an instant messenger program like AIM) also allows people from far distances to communicate. However, both of these positive benefits have the potential to be negative as well. Video and web conferencing can sometimes be difficult to set up and if the Internet is down you often lose access to many of those tools. Typing a conversation can also lead to things taken out of context because you lose tone and expression. Overall, technology can be used successfully as long as individuals are mindful of the potential roadblocks.

Have you seen nontraditional roles emerging in your work environment? What technologies does your company use (or have you personally used) to help you stay connected to your peers?

My Zynga! How does one fall so fast?

Words With Friends. FarmVille. Scramble With Friends. We’ve all heard or played these games, or we have watched our friends on Facebook or Twitter interact with these games. These games are created by Zynga, a company that is nearly six years old based in San Francisco, California. This past week Zynga’s CEO Mark Pincus announced an 18% job cut for employees throughout the gaming company.

Who or what could possibly be the cause of such an 18% job cut? Pincus, in his blog announcement, acknowledged the fact that Zynga has struggled with adapting and entering the mobile space like many other companies. Larger companies, such as Facebook, have also admittedly publicly to have struggled to get a firm grasp on the market that caters to smaller devices that have smaller screens where users expect a fast, seamless and intuitive experience – with less ads. Is this lack of leadership on Pincus’? Or could it be Zynga’s lack of innovation?

This move to lean the company is certainly one thing – focusing on the future. By decreasing the size of the company today, Zynga was able to fairly compensate the newly departed associates. By making this move now, Pincus believes that Zynga is saving money in the long run. He believes making the deep cuts now will allow Zynga to take the risks it was once able to take before it expanded.

There are many similarities in this recent move by Zynga, and the the past few recent years of Chicago based, Groupon. These small start-up online companies expand exponentially all too quickly which brings up the questions, is it lack of leadership? One difference between Zynga and Groupon is that Pincus acknowledging the issues, and addressing them head on from the get go where as it can be argued that Groupon’s first CEO (yet to be replaced), Andrew Mason, failed to take the initiative to help his company early on. Mason, after months of criticism, left by similar fashion – a blog letter written to employees riddled with his off-based humor.

Companies that scale too quickly can easily lose their focus and their identity. Pincus is taking a risk to help his company in the long run. It is a difficult decision to make, but could potentially be the right one to correct Zynga’s projection path. Do think Pincus is making the right move?

http://blog.zynga.com/2013/06/03/ceo-update-4/

Saving the Planet One Aisle at a Time: Tesco’s Sustainability Movement

Many companies want to promote sustainability within their markets since it attracts more customers, however competition and living within specific limits are stopping them from achieving this goal. Sustainability, which includes sustainable design, building and operations, is the collection of strategies and policies employed by companies in order to reduce their overall impact on the future generations. By taking waste from one part of the production process and using that waste to generate new product is a great way to minimize the consumption of limited natural resources and maintain their availability for the future.

800px-Bradley_Stoke_Tesco_2It is very important for management to set goals and develop a strategy when searching for improvement opportunities in order to implement a sustainability program within their company. I think it is much easier being sustainable than going green and many other companies are following in such footsteps.

For instance, Tesco, a British multinational grocery store and third-largest general merchandise retailer in the world measured by revenues and second-largest measured by profits, has recently planned out new business strategies and goals in three various areas, one of which is to reduce food waste globally and become a more sustainable company.

Tesco-1024x468

Research by Tesco shows that about one third of the world’s food is never eaten and instead it is thrown out or left to rot. Therefore, Tesco is planning to pursue this food waste issue in three crucial areas which are: its own operations, the supply chain and agriculture, as well as the customers. The company has the ability to track down waste and find where it happens as it leaves the farmer’s field and reaches the customers’ home, and everything that happens in between.

According to the article, Tesco claims that around 32 percent of food is wasted across its value chain, of which 16 percent comes from the supply chain and agriculture, the other 16 percent coming from customers and less than 1 percent is from the retailer.

Because of the large amount of food waste across all markets, the company is working to develop an advanced measurement for the amount of food ruined in its operations. This will permit Tesco to track progress through a period of time which can significantly minimize the waste as well as achieve its goal of sustainability. Since the food waste is much lower in the UK than in other markets, it plans to follow in their specific operational practices and more precise forecasting so that food does not rot or is thrown out with the high supply rate.

Being more transparent and sustainable for a company with a global marketplace is tough, however, Tesco hopes that by keeping a strong track record of its waste management will lead to a decrease in the food waste levels throughout its value chain, attract more customers, and keep increasing its profits.

Do you think the tracking record will achieve greater sustainability for Tesco or should they examine other ways to manage their inventory and to minimize the overall food waste?

Source: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/05/29/tesco-announces-goal-to-reduce-food-waste-globally/

Retail to E-tail

There are a lot of pros and cons to doing online shopping as opposed to in-store shopping. Online shopping seems like it only affects consumers by giving them a different medium to make their purchases but we fail to realize that it affects the sellers as well. Through online purchases, businesses gather a lot of data about consumers. Sellers can track which sections of items are the most popular, which products are the most viewed and for how long, and which products are most browsed at but not bought. This gives online sellers a competitive advantage over in-store sellers as they know more about their customers. And everyone knows that the understanding your customer is one of the most important factors in having a successful business. This is empowering in-store sellers to seek e-commerce level data.

The article talks about one company that brings customer tracking data to in-store businesses. This is in hopes of slowly bridging the competitive gap between in-store purchases and online purchases. How can they possibly get consumer data without changing the in-store purchase process? By simply observing the customers! Prism Skylabs specializes in in-store surveillance equipment that tracks customer movement. Prism installs special cameras that captures everything in the store and then is sent to the store’s computers where it is processed by Prism’s special software. The images of the actual shoppers are cut out to respect their privacy.

What is so different about Prism’s techniques than regular surveillance cameras? Prism’s software allows them to “look at which products are hot, which are being moved around and touched, and all kinds of data that allow merchandise teams to understand what is going on across a wide range of stores”. This allows the sellers to get information that the type of information that online sellers use to enhance their systems to get more purchases.

Who is using Prism? Right now, Prism has partnered up with 30 retailers. Retailers that Prism is working with include T-Mobile and Famous Footwear. Does it actually work?  A candy store in Oklahoma City was using Prism in their stores and after close observation they changed their premium display to low-selling seasonal candy rather than their famous candies that buyers usually take the time to look through the store to buy. This allowed the store to quantify the customer’s thoughts and make an effective decision in their operations.

Moreover, Prism is not the only data providing company that is emerging. Other companies are picking up on the importance and building unique strategies and techniques to sell to businesses. For example, Shopkick is an app which personalizes deals for a customer in real time as they walk through the store.

Is it worth it to sellers to invest in these data gathering companies?

How do you feel as a consumer towards this type of innovation? Do you feel that you will be making more beneficial purchases or do you feel manipulated by the sellers to buy their preferred products?

Link:http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-25/to-catch-up-with-e-tail-tools-to-track-shoppers-in-the-store

Grubhub Grabs Profit by the Seams

GrubHub and Seamless have now merged into one company. Last year alone they collectively earned over $870 Million dollars in profit. GrubHub has Chicago origins while Seamless started in New York.  Mike Evans the co-founder of GrubHub and the newly combined companies COO said, “I’m excited about the expanded restaurant network that our diners will be able to use.”

The merge initially has many benefits, but over time there are very important executive decisions to make in order to optimize all dimensions of a quality service. One benefit is that combined they will operate in over 500 cities in the United States. They also decided to keep all 650 full-time employees. The former CEO of GrubHub Matt Maloney will remain CEO while the former CEO of Seamless Jonathan Zabusky will be president.  Both former companies have merged with much smaller organizations in the past. For example in 2011 GrubHub bought Dotmenu which gave them an extra 250,000 menu listings at different restaurants around the nation.

The company still has many decisions to make. One decision the company has yet to make is the name of the new brand. Perception is reality, and they should take very careful consideration of how to name the new brand. They have been heavy competitors in cities like Chicago for many years, and they have both built their own brands into what they are today. GrubHub did have more profit, and therefore it would be advantageous to keep that name over Seamless. Changing the name entirely is also an option. Since there whole process is derived from online use it is unlikely they will create a new name. For example if a family uses GrubHub or Seamless on a nightly basis, they will likely have the URL memorized or saved in their favorites. This means the new company needs to be very transparent and loud with their changes in order to retain the brand loyal consumers from both companies.  I have one recommendation if they decide to change the name of the company, and that is to buy a new website with the company name. Then link both former websites to the new website which on the surface seems like it would satisfice all the consumers. From there the new company needs to internally improve their servicing process.

After the merged company has chosen a conforming brand they should also merge the processes to optimize reliability. They can assume they will have a large impact in the market for online food ordering because separately they held large portions of the market share. It is likely that both former organizations had their own unique processes, but one standardized process would be most financially beneficial.

Do you think the new company should change their name? Or should they use GrubHub or Seamless as the new company name? Do you think they should standardize their processing systems? Overall do you think this merge is beneficial to the owners?

 Sources:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-grubhub-seamless-20130520,0,4610644.story

Automation, Good or Bad?

Many of you have probably heard about a company called Foxconn, they do the manufacturing for various products, such as the Iphone and Xbox. They have been running into a problem recently, and that is achieving profitability for the company. In 2010 there was a huge outbreak of suicides at their Chinese plant, because of horrible working and living conditions.This prompted the company to give employees a raise increase to $325 per month from $195.It also spurred Foxconn to speed up its pursuit of automation. The company’s president, Terry Guo, said in 2010 that it would produce 1 million Foxbots, a mechanical arm researched and developed by Foxconn to perform dull and dangerous jobs. The robots would be implemented from 2012 to 2015 to increase the rate of automation and productivity. Foxconn had hoped that by replacing humans with robots, production would become much cheaper and make the company profitable again. However, they soon learned that automation might not be the answer.

“The transformation from workers’ manual labor to using the robots means the models of production will be changed and the changes are complicated,” said Xu Fang, director of the Center Research Institute at high-tech company SIASUN Robot & Automation Co. Ltd. Since some jobs at Foxconn require workers to use their judgment and even though the tasks appear simple, robots cannot be used to perform them because they lack decision-making ability. Another interesting situation with Foxconn is that they dont design the products that they manufacture, the product is already designed when it is brought to them. As Yang Zhiqiang, editor in chief at automation website gkong.com, said. “After all, Foxconn is a manufacturer for other companies’ original equipment and its clients have already completed the product design, so if a company wants to use robots to make products, at the beginning the company needs to consider the robot design in order to fit the production line.” This whole scenario proves a couple things to me, number one although automation may seem like the route to go in the technology filled world we live in, it may not be the most sensible. The other thing this story showed me was that maybe if managers treated employees with a greater level of respect and compensation for their work, there would be no need for buying the expensive equipment involved with automation. If you employees are not happy, there is no way around it, your company will fail, and it is managements job to make sure this does not happen.

 

Work Cited

Xuena, Li. “Why Foxconn’s Automation Hasn’t Been Smooth.” Market Watch. N.p., 14 May 2013. Web. <http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-foxconns-automation-hasnt-been-smooth-2013-05-14?pagenumber=2>.