Water? Yeah it comes out of my sink. I use it to shower. It makes my coffee in the morning. That’s about it…I think.

One of the biggest challenges faced by many water professionals is the lack of public appreciation for the value of water. Most people have no idea about the amount of work (and business opportunity) that goes into treating water, moving water, storing water and distributing water. In this lack of appreciation for the water field, I will expose two key points from my experiences in the water field.

In developing the new division for Darley, there are challenges we face internally and externally.

Internally. Trying to change the old school mindset that Darley is more than a fire company. These new markets have different mind sets, different demands, different regulations. With all these “different” factors, we needed a top to bottom reformatted approach to how we think about the market. How should we phrase our marketing? How should we present information? How much is too much information? What does the market want? Who is the actual customer? How can I reach these new customers?  How should I be spending my time on a daily basis?

Darley experienced many failed product launches and marketing efforts because we did not adapt our thinking to the new marketing opportunity. Therefor as a team, our marketing and web department came together to sit back and think “What is our water identity and how can we best portray this to the market?” By bringing together our internal resources, this has allowed Darley to define our position to the marketplace and work as a team to grow sales to the industry. Darley is working better as a team to support the new market endeavors and this has allowed me to focus more on water partnership and business development.

Lessons learned: Tap into internal existing resources. Allow yourself to utilize your time most effectively. Cut the cord on a bad marketing effort before you sink too much time into it.

Externally: The water market is ruthlessly competitive; and it’s only starting to heatup. Based on market studies, the Water industry is expected to grow into $375 Billion dollar industry next year. Because of the growing nature of importance for water in every industry sector, many new companies are emerging and more companies are adapting into the water world. Due to this growing shift to water, this highlights the importance of two things: 1) find a niche 2) make sure our products are doing what we say they will do.

1) In finding a niche (such as military, disaster response and humanitarian) we can focus our resource on small segments of the water sector as opposed to casting too wide of a net.

2) In dealing with the water sector, we are entering a world where the end user is going to consume the end product. This requires a high level of oversight to ensure that the product is producing clean water and meeting industry standards. We may have been to relaxed when first encountering this water quality issue, but fortunately nothing bad happened.  We have since implemented many more quality control issues. The last thing we want is an unhappy (potentially dead) customer.

Lessons Learned: Be different. Fight for the niche market. Don’t take anything you say to the public lightly in regards to capabilities because it could come back to haunt you.

This article highlights the challenges of the industry and what companies should do to focus on building market opportunities. http://www.wateronline.com/doc/the-biggest-challenges-facing-the-water-industry-0001.

FINAL Food for thought:  Have you ever thought about how water affects your industry?  Is water important to your company (your personal life)? What if your company had a supply chain shock of no access to water?  How important is water to your business?

I interviewed our Director of Operations who is a Project Management Professional, certified through the PMI.  During our interview she explained to me that the most important skill set for a project or program manager to have is people skills.  It is imperative to have good people skills as a PM because much of project management is building relationships and motivating team members to complete their tasks as efficiently and timely as possible.  Ingrained in the mentality of a PM should be the mindset of working together to achieve the goals set forth in the vision of the project.  If a PM is rough around the edges or has a way of putting people off, they may discourage open communication.  If a PM is a pushover and does not have authority and the respect of the team members, nothing will ever get done.  A PM must be able to share responsibilities and hold people accountable through the dependencies others have on them.

I was thinking about this and various teams I have been a member of and it reminded me of certain program managers that I avoid at all costs.  Some of their characteristics which are unsavory are an inability to plan appropriately, threats, inability to see high level (bogged down in details), inability to drive results, poor budgeting, poor communication, and the like.,  Seeing as we spend so much of our time working and working with others in team settings, being surrounded by those who have deficiencies can be painful.  Characteristics of good people skills include being a good listener, being able to refocused the group when led astray, air of authority which is non threatening, ability to delegate, proper identification of group members skills and talents, good communication, ability to problem solve, and a ability to motive.  I appreciate the times when I am able to work with a well functioning team; one which makes progress and works together to achieve goals.  Being a good team member is also important but the ambiance is set from the PM and if they are not effective it is easy for the team to get off track or not be able to overcome hurdles.

I’m not sure how much of this can be taught.  My Director of Operations told me that part of the classes she took for the PMP certification included a class on leadership and teamwork.  She told me she learned a lot from that class.  Just having one class can be problematic.  PMs need training and experience to be able to navigate choppy waters and lead the team straight.  If that can be done in one class, then great, but that seems unlikely.  Behavior needs to be reinforced, which takes time and willingness to accept consequences.

I happen to agree with the Director of Operations for my company; people skills are first and foremost.  This is clear to me in daily work environment how important it is to cultivate relationships but having these in place on a project or program is critical.

“Overdue and over budget, over and over again” pulled from The Economist.  http://www.economist.com/node/4065653

Overview: This article outlines the challenges projects and project managers’ face in keeping projects within the designated time frame and within the budget.  More importantly, it states that over 180 years of project management, very little has changed.  In the past, projects were routinely over budget and took longer than anticipated.  Even today with technological advances, including the various project management software, projects continue to run over budget and require time extensions.  Within the article, current projects are highlighted, such as the oil pipeline from Azerbaijan’s Caspian wells to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, which is running several months behind schedule and is currently 5-10% over its four billion dollar budget.  As most of us would probably expect, The Economist points out that many of the current large-scale projects are IT focused.  Even with increased technology and technological support, these projects are just as likely to cost more money and require more time that planned.  This includes the process of moving patient records to electronic health record systems in the healthcare sector; which is a process many hospitals and clinics are currently undergoing.

There are astounding statistics included in the article: on average, recent large-scale IT projects took 84% more time than expected and costs tended to be 59% above the original budget.  Additionally, projects are cited as experiencing the most challenges when the initiation phase gets separated from execution, such as when project managers make unrealistically optimistic budgets.  However, the Project Management Institute has found that more companies are now employing designated project managers, which will hopefully improve project outcomes in meeting budgets and timeframes.

Personal reaction:  Overall, I was not surprised by what I read in this article.  I think it is common for projects to be proposed with budgets and timeframes that are unrealistic in an attempt to secure a contract or impress management. Unfortunately, this sets the projects up for failure and furthers the precedent that projects will not meet the initial proposal.  In my current position, we use Excel project planners to develop timeframes and monitor project progress.  I do find this helpful in keeping my peers and clients updated, but it does add another layer of work, which can be time consuming.  However, my current position involves many ongoing client projects at a time, therefore, Excel is a necessity in keeping myself organized and on top of their statuses.  When I reflect on this, I think having designated project managers could be very beneficial in large organizations where there are many projects to juggle.  In smaller organizations, such as my current employer, I do not believe it would be necessary or would result in improved project outcomes.

Peer questions: Are you surprised to hear that project management has not improved, resulting in projects that continue to come in over budget and exceed the timeframe?   Do you believe that designated project managers within corporations will change these outcomes?  For those of you that use project management software in your work environment, do you find that is helpful?  Have you had to ask a client or your manager for a project extension?  If so, how did you handle it and how did they react?  Lastly, do you have designated project managers in your organization?  If so, how do they interact with the various team members and clients?

I think having a well developed project plan can save a lot of time and headache for the entire team involved in a project. With well defined steps and guidelines team members can stay more focused on their individual task and accomplish more in less time.

As I was trying to figure out what my second post should be about, I turned to our lecture topic from October 17^th. Developing a project plan sounded like a perfect subject to focus on. I wanted to read and learn more about this topic as I hope to be managing projects in the near future.

I came across this great article written by Elizabeth and Richard Larson, titled “10 Steps to Creating a Project Plan”. What caught my attention is the article’s first sentence “One of the critical factors for project success is having a well-developed project plan”. I agree with the authors 100%. Without a well developed project plan lots can go wrong and the entire team may suffer unwanted consequences.

Authors of the article describe 10 steps to creating a project plan:

1. Explain the project plan to key stakeholders and discuss its key components.
2. Define roles and responsibilities.
3. Hold a kickoff meeting.
4. Develop a Scope Statement.
5. Develop scope baseline
6. Develop the schedule and cost baselines.
7. Create baseline management plans.
8. Develop the staffing plan.
9. Analyze project quality and risks.
10. Communicate!

I decided to pick three steps that I consider to be the most important. I find all these steps to be vital, but explaining the project plan, defining responsibilities, and communicating rank the highest on my list.

In my opinion, explaining the project plan is crucial to a project’s success. Most project components will change over the life of a project. The delivery date may change, the team may get smaller or larger, and the budget may change as well. Project manager has to be prepared and create/adjust the project plan as needed.

Defining responsibilities and often re-assigning earlier assigned responsibilities from one team member to a different team member is essential. As project’s requirements may change, the team has to adapt to changes, and project manager has to plan accordingly. The project manager should be the one to determine who on the project is responsible for what part.

Communication, communication, communication!!! Without an effective communication project’s success will be in jeopardy. Team member should be well informed about not only who on the team is responsible for what, but also how team members can assist when challenges arise. I think communication is a key to a successful project.

To read more about the remaining 7 steps to creating a project plan click the link below.

http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/10-steps-to-creating-a-project-plan.html

In your opinion, what are the three most important steps in creating a project plan?