Tools - Pre-Sales Checklist
21:33
Do not underestimate "Pre-Sales or Concept" work activities that need to occur before you Initiate a project. The level of formality should be aligned with the Tier Rating of the project.
As discussed, before a project starts, you can set up a foundation (well worth it)..... or set up a mud pit (do not be surprised when that extra level of stress and anxiety appear - and help others understand this too).
PMI does not even do this approach justice. The PMI process groups start with Initiation.
I would like to see the following process groups:
This also helps people understand, business, operations and projects are all in the same family, they need each other and integrate with each other to deliver ultimate value for the client.
In this very first stage, one could leverage a checklist such as below:
As discussed, before a project starts, you can set up a foundation (well worth it)..... or set up a mud pit (do not be surprised when that extra level of stress and anxiety appear - and help others understand this too).
PMI does not even do this approach justice. The PMI process groups start with Initiation.
I would like to see the following process groups:
- Concept/PreSales
- Propsal
- Initiation
- Planning
- Executing
- Monitoring and Control
- Closure
This also helps people understand, business, operations and projects are all in the same family, they need each other and integrate with each other to deliver ultimate value for the client.
In this very first stage, one could leverage a checklist such as below:
ID #
|
Project
Tasks
|
1
|
Confirm key owners, influencers
and recipients
|
2
|
Define Justification (e.g.
market demand, business need, technology, legal, societal, client request,
etc)
|
3
|
Analyze Sales/RFP or other project documents that are associated with
starting a project
|
4
|
Define
very high level resource requirements (money, people, material, equipment,
tools, time, etc)
|
5
|
Identify
possible sources for resources
|
6
|
Confirm
engagement strategy
|
7
|
Analyze
Organizational Design capability and strength associated with potential work
|
8
|
Review project potential with business vision,
mission, mandate, values, strategy, model and objectives
|
9
|
Conduct peer reviews
|
10
|
Complete
Account Plan
|
11
|
Complete Sales Response Strategy and Documentation
|
12
|
Start
Project Proposal or Charter (as per methodology)
|
13
|
Review Key Information accuracy and levels of
risk/source of error
|
14
|
Confirm
Project approach (phased/staged workflow)
|
15
|
Understand negotiation strategies and boundaries
|
16
|
Review
Plans with resources
|
17
|
Refine and Present SOW and PSA
|
18
|
Attain final approval/modifications on formal
documents
|
19
|
Sign
off on SOW, PSA and formal documents
|
20
|
Identify
and begin Project Acceptance Table
|
21
|
Start
a high level (informal) lessons learned / feedback forum
|
22
|
Present
and ensure understanding of project vs operational environments and
approaches to be taken
|
23
|
Temper
the excitement of “wanting it all – or scope creep before we know what we are
even doing” - with the understanding of trade-offs, constraints and
prioritization (support management of expectations)
|
24
|
Enhance
the excitement of new value for the organization
|
25
|
Communicate
project gate closure and move to next stage
|
NOTE:
And of course, assumed it already an integral part of the Pre-Sales/Concept stage, is to ensure the value and the business case work. WE ALWAYS do work for a return in value and the level of probability of success associated with receiving that value is dependent on the risk tolerance of the organization. Ensure that is talked about and very clear, as always right at the start!
Thoughts - How Critical is Sales in Project Management
12:49
Some say Sales is the # 1 role in business. And business is very much made up of projects.
A great PM I know recently took 3 days of sales training which reminded me how important sales is within a project environment.
We all need to understand, respect and embrace sales. We are always selling tangible products/services, ideas, approaches, innovations, perspectives, and of course, aspects of: scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, communications, risk management, procurement, safety, environment, documentation, etc.
The key for these types of sales is what we exchange for the sale. It does not have to be a monetary exchange, it is of the more pure form of sales. Think of it as more of a barter, which is "back to the basics" of selling. We sell something and we get something in return.
Thus sales is critical and we must also understand what helps it become more successful.
One thing to remember is that we all sell in different ways. I'd like to share a few tools and thoughts you may or may not agree with, but that is the beauty of sales (much like Project Management)...... there is no TRUE SINGLE approach, it depends on the person and the product/service and stakeholders involved.
So remember the similarities between sales and project management and ensure they both receive attention.
Lets cover a few simple myths and truths about sales:
Myth - sales is about numbers, and one should expect to fail the majority of the time
Truth: sales is about relationships and planning. With relationships come trust, that is what people want to have in a transaction or in a decision that needs to be made. Planning provides the confidence that what you say you can do you will be able to do. Especially if it is a plan that incorporates a systematic approach (e.g. project management methodology)!. Often junior sales processes do not have a solid plan, thus have that high rate of failure. Senior sales pick their battles and say no to ones that are not aligned with their plans and abilities.
Myth - all people can sell anything
Truth: there are many, many variables that make a successful sales person, and even then, you still have to align that skillset with the correct product/service to have success. You may also be more successful selling different things at different stages of your career, simply because your different levels of patience, confidence, expectations, judging of people, desire, humbleness, entitlement, persistence, passion, etc. Many personality traits influence success and it is very rare to see people that can sell diverse products/services within diverse cultures, environments and with diverse tools, equipment, support and training. Sales is tough and there is a reason that it is one of the highest paid professions.
Myth - with the right training you can quickly change your sales success
Truth: I wanted to emphasize this, so see the Truth above. Often we think to get trained and then it will be easy. That is not the case. Key thing is to pick your strengths and then align them to the job. Know what style you have and what can you sell with that style. Love and believe what you do and things will follow.
We truly live in a borderless world, where there is an over-abundance of choice. It is less and less about the product/service, since they can be found everywhere. And it seems that we all get too busy in the grind so often can't discover when we need to be sold something to help us get to that next level. Humans do not do well with so many choices, they buy less if there is more choice and delay longer before making a decision. Or we just stick to what works and get nervous about change.
Great people in sales understand how to bring forth and then manage a client's expectations. Be up front, ensure the sale is clear as to what is included in the exchange. It will never be perfect and there will be gaps, just ensure there is an incremental gain in value that follows a plan and then listen and focus on growth of the relationship to get to that next level and keep on climbing in a structured manner as possible.
A great PM I know recently took 3 days of sales training which reminded me how important sales is within a project environment.
We all need to understand, respect and embrace sales. We are always selling tangible products/services, ideas, approaches, innovations, perspectives, and of course, aspects of: scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, communications, risk management, procurement, safety, environment, documentation, etc.
The key for these types of sales is what we exchange for the sale. It does not have to be a monetary exchange, it is of the more pure form of sales. Think of it as more of a barter, which is "back to the basics" of selling. We sell something and we get something in return.
Thus sales is critical and we must also understand what helps it become more successful.
One thing to remember is that we all sell in different ways. I'd like to share a few tools and thoughts you may or may not agree with, but that is the beauty of sales (much like Project Management)...... there is no TRUE SINGLE approach, it depends on the person and the product/service and stakeholders involved.
So remember the similarities between sales and project management and ensure they both receive attention.
Lets cover a few simple myths and truths about sales:
Myth - sales is about numbers, and one should expect to fail the majority of the time
Truth: sales is about relationships and planning. With relationships come trust, that is what people want to have in a transaction or in a decision that needs to be made. Planning provides the confidence that what you say you can do you will be able to do. Especially if it is a plan that incorporates a systematic approach (e.g. project management methodology)!. Often junior sales processes do not have a solid plan, thus have that high rate of failure. Senior sales pick their battles and say no to ones that are not aligned with their plans and abilities.
Myth - all people can sell anything
Truth: there are many, many variables that make a successful sales person, and even then, you still have to align that skillset with the correct product/service to have success. You may also be more successful selling different things at different stages of your career, simply because your different levels of patience, confidence, expectations, judging of people, desire, humbleness, entitlement, persistence, passion, etc. Many personality traits influence success and it is very rare to see people that can sell diverse products/services within diverse cultures, environments and with diverse tools, equipment, support and training. Sales is tough and there is a reason that it is one of the highest paid professions.
Myth - with the right training you can quickly change your sales success
Truth: I wanted to emphasize this, so see the Truth above. Often we think to get trained and then it will be easy. That is not the case. Key thing is to pick your strengths and then align them to the job. Know what style you have and what can you sell with that style. Love and believe what you do and things will follow.
We truly live in a borderless world, where there is an over-abundance of choice. It is less and less about the product/service, since they can be found everywhere. And it seems that we all get too busy in the grind so often can't discover when we need to be sold something to help us get to that next level. Humans do not do well with so many choices, they buy less if there is more choice and delay longer before making a decision. Or we just stick to what works and get nervous about change.
Great people in sales understand how to bring forth and then manage a client's expectations. Be up front, ensure the sale is clear as to what is included in the exchange. It will never be perfect and there will be gaps, just ensure there is an incremental gain in value that follows a plan and then listen and focus on growth of the relationship to get to that next level and keep on climbing in a structured manner as possible.
Tools - Recognition (amazing value for your dollar)
15:31
A company I know starts each executive reporting meeting with a "shout-out". Whereby each exec (round the table) has to recognize a person (something above and beyond). Then in addition, that exec sends a note to the person to let them know and to also recognize them again.
Wow, so much value in so many ways associated with such a simple process. A true leader creates a work environment in which people feel important and appreciated.
How often do you read about employee survey
results that stated: “the organization does not care about their employees
or the organization does not appreciate what I do”. The majority of those
surveys consistently ranked praise and attention from their managers as
the # 1 thing that would make them feel as if the company cared about them
and their well-being and result in more loyalty, enthusiasm and pride in
their work.
However, I also know of companies that over do it. You constantly here "good job". But quickly you lose clarity on exactly what was the good job, or are they serious, or expectations of praise on any and all aspects of your job.
So can try to focus on three key things:
a) find a consistent balance (when to praise and when not)
b) understand the platform from which to present it
c) make it as formal as possible (but NOT administrative)
To elaborate on b) as per above, it highly depends on the personality of the individual and the team that is receiving the recognition. Present it in front of peers, or the entire team, or an organizational event, etc. Maybe highlight it with a picture or a note in the news bulletin or social committee board. You need to establish the platform and at a minimum, understand how it will be accepted by the recipient and other surrounding stakeholders.
To elaborate on c) (as per above), you should at a minimum cover 3 things:
1) state what happened
2) explain why the individual is being recognized
3) emphasize how it impacted the project/company
Other Examples of how project managers can reinforce recognition include:
• Write a short personal note – add the small things that were noticed and
personalize it with a signature and a thank you. Tie in something outside
work if possible (e.g. appreciate the time spent away from family).
• Give a gift – the gift does not have to be expensive but has to
be sincere. Be creative, the gifts must be balanced between
individuals, groups and the entire team. Examples of types of gifts
include:
- corporate merchandise,
- gift certificates,
- motivational artwork,
- home improvement items,
- chocolate,
- gift baskets,
- dollar store items;
- days off;
- pass to leave work early;
- flexible scheduling;
- food (breakfast, lunch, supper, treats, donuts, ice cream, etc.);
- catered lunches (with special themes);
- external food (BBQ, restaurants, hotdog vendors, etc);
- cakes for special occasions (events, birthdays, milestones, work anniversaries, holidays, etc.);
- formal training, conferences, lunch presentations;
- memberships (e.g. associations);
- professional educational support (e.g. classes, certifications);
- something for their significant other.
• Give cash or options
or bonuses – ensure the focus is not the gift but the reason why the
reward was given. This ensures that when the money has been spent, the
employee remembers the recognition.
• Keep it simple - if you are extremely short on time, schedule reminders in your calendar to recognize a minimum of 1 person per week. This could include a simple thank you and some details of how you are aware what happened, why the individual is being recognized and how it will make an impact.
Tools - Microsoft Project Steps before Baseline
10:23
MS Project is not an easy tool, but it creates one of the
best Gannt Chart or Schedule display tools you can get.
People ask for a simple guideline that can be followed to
create a Baseline for the Schedule.
Note: I also recommend following this if you are looking to
track real costs, or levels of "Effort" (as PMI would call it) but in
the MS Project software it is called "Work". One must clearly
understand if you are tracking Calendar Time vs Duration vs Work. Each tells a different story and has their
place.
12 Steps Before Baseline and the Sequence to do it in,
includes:
1) Project Start Date (Project - Project info)
2) Calendar (Project – Change working time)
3) Effort Driven Schedule (File - Options – Schedule)
· New tasks
created (Auto)
· Work is
entered in: (Days)
· Default task
type (Fixed Work)
Note: Duration = Work/Units
(Advanced – Display Options)
· Show Project
summary task
4) Task Entry (Deliverables, Work Packages, Tasks)
5) Activity Sequencing, Dependencies/Linking (FS then SS, FF)
6) Resource Sheet (enter initials)
7) Assign Resources to tasks
8) Assign level of effort (Work)
· Milestones
(zero effort)
9) Level resources, alter resources
10) Verifications
11) Set the baseline
12) Track Actuals and Progress (% work complete)
· % Work
Complete Column
· Bar colours
and styles, bar text
· Critical Path
(View – Highlight)
· Red/Dashed
Status Date (Project - Status Date – right click gridlines)
PMTip - EQ Core Capacities
11:33
I took an EQ Assessment & continually go
back to it - to continually learn more about myself.
It puts a formal approach and more of a science around how I work with
different types of people under different types of environments. It is never black and white, however, this is essentially a tool that lets me grow in one of the most critical aspects of project management and business (relationships).
Objectives of this assessment were to
self-identify how well one can manage relationships in the midst of uncertainty (and thus this will also include how we manage risk, complexity, conflict and stress).
The assessment talked about 3 key building blocks. By studying and understanding them, one can build tolerance, resilience, and adaptability, and give new capabilities to relate more effectively with others.
The assessment talked about 3 key building blocks. By studying and understanding them, one can build tolerance, resilience, and adaptability, and give new capabilities to relate more effectively with others.
It is so important to realize how
projects are managed today versus in the past. The focus today is so much more on
the "people side" vs the "systems side", and thus must include a focus on both yourself and the external people you interact with.
There are many assessments out there, the three core capacities that were focused on for my assessment included:
There are many assessments out there, the three core capacities that were focused on for my assessment included:
1) Self-Reflection
Self-Reflection is the ability to access
and name our experience, including our feelings, thoughts, wants, intentions,
and body sensations, and the ability to observe our thoughts, feelings, and
behavior in the moment as we participate in life. Having the ability to first experience and name our experience, to
differentiate our experience from others, and to reflect and learn from our
experience is fundamental to emotional intelligence, the very driver of our
capacity to learn and grow. It is key to know one-self.
2) Self-Regulation
Experiencing varying levels of distress and
pain is a natural part of life. This causes us to feel some degree of
disequilibrium. Self-soothing is the capacity to experience our distress and
manage it in ways that help us reestablish our equilibrium or balance without
requiring others to change. We all soothe ourselves and our emotions daily in a
variety of positive and negative ways, both alone and in relationship. It is key to measure how we regulate our
emotions.
3) Empathy
Empathy is the ability to identify and analyze what
another person is experiencing and to know what that must be like; to "get
into another person's shoes." Deep empathy also will include an understanding how the other person is feeling. It is key to measure our levels of accuracy and compassion.
For more details, can start by visiting sample websites below of some great people that know this area:
http://www.knollandassociates.ca/programs/
http://learninginaction.com/free-download/
(Note: the link above also has a free download)
http://www.knollandassociates.ca/programs/
http://learninginaction.com/free-download/
(Note: the link above also has a free download)
Tools - placing people into RO levels
10:05
This blog-post is a sensitive subject but is win-win for employee & company! It's a follow-up (part 2 of 2). See video:
Note: if video does not work in the link, please visit www.jasontratch.com to view it
In last post, we talked about 8 levels (0 to 7) or 8 strata that people can be placed within. After this is complete, then the work must be assessed and put into levels. Then the key is to align the levels of the resource and the work at hand.
Organizational Design (or RO as many people call it) aims to provide a quantifiable process (scientific based) approach to help get tasks done within a project or a business. It promotes the focus on trust and transparency through systems, methodologies and organizational design and attempts to take away subjective, emotional, political and people issues that we often focus on when hiring/promoting/allocating people into specific projects or jobs.
Both the company/project and the people doing or managing the work should have confidence that the job at hand is properly aligned with the capability of the person.
One challenge is that we often try to classify people by looking at their resume and placing tremendous value on this, and then conducting an interview process. To qualify people through a resume and an interview process, we use such a variety of tools and techniques that results are often hit or miss.
The missed opportunity is to be more trusting, communicative and transparent as to where gaps exist and what they are - between the job at hand and the person doing or managing the work. This will be key to addressing risks and constraints and then ALSO lead to much better management of expectations (from both the person doing the work and the ones receiving the work).
As mentioned in the video above, 4 key parameters at a minimum must be assessed when trying to qualify a person's level.
Note: others exist, but this post focuses on the ones below:
One can further describe the above parameters as:
IPC - Information Processing Capability - this is the most complicated parameter and takes a high level of experience to do it properly (essentially it is the ability of a person to work within a structure to do the work. If in order to do work you must be told step A then B then be managed and monitored to deliver that work - this would be the lowest level, as you move up into higher levels, then you can work with more processes, in more parallels and with more unknowns and in a more fluid/dynamic manner - you have comfort with the abstract and a spatial ability to flow through work with countless scenarios that adapt as work progresses)
KSE - Knowledge, Skills and Experience (this is the traditional way of assessing people, it still brings value, but one must focus on the knowledge/education listed on the resume and also the persons delivery of work using that knowledge, need to have the combination - learn the right methods to do things, then get experience trying to do it that way)
PS/PI - Personal Strengths (maximize these, this is your core so be confident with them) Personal Inhibitors (don't kid yourself, be aware of personality traits that will inhibit the task at hand and compensate for them or bring in people that are better suited than you - believe in yourself and talk about both of these more openly)
VI - Vested Interest (how much passion and enthusiasm do you have for the work, how much pain will you feel if you fail, how much gain will you get if it is successful - how does the work align with the stage of life you are in, if going through a traumatic personal event, be open about your priorities - we live in a society of work - personal life blending and carry emotions so again, don't kid yourself or others)
These four parameters are key pillars of RO and are extensively studied and proven within business and project management. I am not doing it justice to describe them within a few paragraphs so if interested in more details and to grow your understanding, I recommend to start with some of the links below:
Great Association Website for RO:
Note: if video does not work in the link, please visit www.jasontratch.com to view it
In last post, we talked about 8 levels (0 to 7) or 8 strata that people can be placed within. After this is complete, then the work must be assessed and put into levels. Then the key is to align the levels of the resource and the work at hand.
Organizational Design (or RO as many people call it) aims to provide a quantifiable process (scientific based) approach to help get tasks done within a project or a business. It promotes the focus on trust and transparency through systems, methodologies and organizational design and attempts to take away subjective, emotional, political and people issues that we often focus on when hiring/promoting/allocating people into specific projects or jobs.
Both the company/project and the people doing or managing the work should have confidence that the job at hand is properly aligned with the capability of the person.
One challenge is that we often try to classify people by looking at their resume and placing tremendous value on this, and then conducting an interview process. To qualify people through a resume and an interview process, we use such a variety of tools and techniques that results are often hit or miss.
The missed opportunity is to be more trusting, communicative and transparent as to where gaps exist and what they are - between the job at hand and the person doing or managing the work. This will be key to addressing risks and constraints and then ALSO lead to much better management of expectations (from both the person doing the work and the ones receiving the work).
As mentioned in the video above, 4 key parameters at a minimum must be assessed when trying to qualify a person's level.
Note: others exist, but this post focuses on the ones below:
One can further describe the above parameters as:
IPC - Information Processing Capability - this is the most complicated parameter and takes a high level of experience to do it properly (essentially it is the ability of a person to work within a structure to do the work. If in order to do work you must be told step A then B then be managed and monitored to deliver that work - this would be the lowest level, as you move up into higher levels, then you can work with more processes, in more parallels and with more unknowns and in a more fluid/dynamic manner - you have comfort with the abstract and a spatial ability to flow through work with countless scenarios that adapt as work progresses)
KSE - Knowledge, Skills and Experience (this is the traditional way of assessing people, it still brings value, but one must focus on the knowledge/education listed on the resume and also the persons delivery of work using that knowledge, need to have the combination - learn the right methods to do things, then get experience trying to do it that way)
PS/PI - Personal Strengths (maximize these, this is your core so be confident with them) Personal Inhibitors (don't kid yourself, be aware of personality traits that will inhibit the task at hand and compensate for them or bring in people that are better suited than you - believe in yourself and talk about both of these more openly)
VI - Vested Interest (how much passion and enthusiasm do you have for the work, how much pain will you feel if you fail, how much gain will you get if it is successful - how does the work align with the stage of life you are in, if going through a traumatic personal event, be open about your priorities - we live in a society of work - personal life blending and carry emotions so again, don't kid yourself or others)
These four parameters are key pillars of RO and are extensively studied and proven within business and project management. I am not doing it justice to describe them within a few paragraphs so if interested in more details and to grow your understanding, I recommend to start with some of the links below:
Great Association Website for RO:
Great group of experts that promote RO and also share many free books/papers/videos about RO:
Tools - Is the Work Aligned with the Employee
12:23
Amazing how many questions/issues come up around organizational design. Are there systems we can use - and not the typical HR Operational stuff! We need short term, simple, clear, structured yet agile systems for project type environments. The HR system must ensure the right people are in place at the right time - for the right work activities to be completed - With Success!
This is where we can leverage Requisite Organization (RO) theories, or Global Organizational Design methodologies and tools. A guru in this areas was Elliott Jaques and now his work has continued to grow exponentially, gain momentum, clarity and validation by many greats like Ken Shepard and Don Fowke. These systems are actively followed by 100s of companies (small to big) in all industry and all environments.
Don Fowke helped me understand what is Requisite Organization, by explaining: "There is a small number of very important constructs that help design and manage organizations by building trust and delivering effectiveness".
Two key principles that I have taken away from RO include:
1) people can be split into levels of capability (and hence their qualifications to do the work at hand)
2) work can be split into levels of longevity, complexity and uniqueness.
Note: It is important to not slot a person into one level and be black and white about it. It is important to understand that the person is at that level, for that current time period for that current type of work.
If everyone understands these two principles, then basically next steps should be easy. All you need to do is align the people level with the work level and voila...... that simple!
Easier said than done, since it is common practice to put people into jobs or work levels that are:
Also, don't forget when the business is just short on the right people, or the business is doing the wrong type of work (outside their sweet spot).
Thus, this results in high stress, anxiety, conflict, and then poor trust, performance and lack of efficiency & effectiveness. This is especially evident in a project environment.
To further understand this, an RO Consultant once shared a matrix with me. This is not to be taken in stone but it gives an idea how the general population fits within the levels of RO.
Before looking at the matrix, take a quick quiz. If I said there are 7 levels of capability that the human population fits into - where do you put yourself?
Level 0 is where you are not capable to perform work, you need help to be managed and hand held, and still you would likely not accomplish the work. Level 7 is where you are a super CEO that can run multinational companies quite easily. Where do you fit???
Level: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
Most of us put ourselves in the top half (4 or greater) - we all take pride in ourselves (which is a very good thing!). This is the beauty of human nature, we are generally positive and optimistic and strive to grow and feel that the work we do produces huge amounts of value.
However, in the project/business world we are drastically constrained with money, time, equipment, material, etc. If mistakes are made, there are consequences. Worst case if a project fails, the company shuts down and people are sent home - there is no more money to pay a salary so hence no one wants to stay and work for free. So thus, personal vs paid project work needs a different level of disciplined approach - to ensure we have people classified in the correct level and then link them with the correct level of work complexity to ensure we have less "big" mistakes.
RO further alludes to that the vast majority of work completed in business or projects is not that complex and thus people at lower levels can deliver it. If someone tells you what to do, or you were trained in detail as to what to do and how to do it, then they also check up on you (manage you); then you are doing a lot of work and likely working very hard, but the level that you are working at is very low in terms of RO.
Lets take a look at an example matrix that classifies the majority of people in terms of levels:
Level - % of Population
7 - 0.5
6 - 0.5
5 - 0.5
4 - 0.5
3 - 7
2 - 41
1 - 40
0 - 10
The groupings of these levels show how the vast majority of people are in the bottom part - and truthfully, I am still surprised with these results. We were always taught by our parents, teachers, coaches, etc. that we can do anything if we set our mind to it. All of us are equal and all of us are all-stars! We are born with the world in front of us and we carve our own destiny, anyone can be president, anyone can be an astronaut, anyone can be a star athlete or CEO business owner. Mister Rogers preached this and we ran with it.
However, RO and the hundreds of companies that follow this state this is not the case.
So what can you take away from this...... I personally continue to study this and the key thing I take away............. is to have awareness and help others see the same awareness.
As always, people are the key reason for success or failure in projects and business. To deliver the work, you must manage people. However, people need to be in roles that they can excel within. Once you have awareness of the work/people alignment, you can better manage the risks - since it will never be perfect.
AND remind everyone that is involved, this is not personal. This is trying to set up a systematic approach whereby we can increase the probability of success for that task, at that time and with that set of resources!
PS: if you want to know about RO, or how people are classified or how work is classified, be sure to visit the website below, or stay tuned and I will be doing a future post on both of these topics.
http://globalro.org/
This is where we can leverage Requisite Organization (RO) theories, or Global Organizational Design methodologies and tools. A guru in this areas was Elliott Jaques and now his work has continued to grow exponentially, gain momentum, clarity and validation by many greats like Ken Shepard and Don Fowke. These systems are actively followed by 100s of companies (small to big) in all industry and all environments.
Don Fowke helped me understand what is Requisite Organization, by explaining: "There is a small number of very important constructs that help design and manage organizations by building trust and delivering effectiveness".
Two key principles that I have taken away from RO include:
1) people can be split into levels of capability (and hence their qualifications to do the work at hand)
2) work can be split into levels of longevity, complexity and uniqueness.
Note: It is important to not slot a person into one level and be black and white about it. It is important to understand that the person is at that level, for that current time period for that current type of work.
If everyone understands these two principles, then basically next steps should be easy. All you need to do is align the people level with the work level and voila...... that simple!
Easier said than done, since it is common practice to put people into jobs or work levels that are:
- too easy (get bored),
- too difficult (get stressed),
- politically influenced,
- without a plan (hurry up and fill the spot, take who ever is available).
Also, don't forget when the business is just short on the right people, or the business is doing the wrong type of work (outside their sweet spot).
Thus, this results in high stress, anxiety, conflict, and then poor trust, performance and lack of efficiency & effectiveness. This is especially evident in a project environment.
To further understand this, an RO Consultant once shared a matrix with me. This is not to be taken in stone but it gives an idea how the general population fits within the levels of RO.
Before looking at the matrix, take a quick quiz. If I said there are 7 levels of capability that the human population fits into - where do you put yourself?
Level 0 is where you are not capable to perform work, you need help to be managed and hand held, and still you would likely not accomplish the work. Level 7 is where you are a super CEO that can run multinational companies quite easily. Where do you fit???
Level: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
Most of us put ourselves in the top half (4 or greater) - we all take pride in ourselves (which is a very good thing!). This is the beauty of human nature, we are generally positive and optimistic and strive to grow and feel that the work we do produces huge amounts of value.
However, in the project/business world we are drastically constrained with money, time, equipment, material, etc. If mistakes are made, there are consequences. Worst case if a project fails, the company shuts down and people are sent home - there is no more money to pay a salary so hence no one wants to stay and work for free. So thus, personal vs paid project work needs a different level of disciplined approach - to ensure we have people classified in the correct level and then link them with the correct level of work complexity to ensure we have less "big" mistakes.
RO further alludes to that the vast majority of work completed in business or projects is not that complex and thus people at lower levels can deliver it. If someone tells you what to do, or you were trained in detail as to what to do and how to do it, then they also check up on you (manage you); then you are doing a lot of work and likely working very hard, but the level that you are working at is very low in terms of RO.
Lets take a look at an example matrix that classifies the majority of people in terms of levels:
Level - % of Population
7 - 0.5
6 - 0.5
5 - 0.5
4 - 0.5
3 - 7
2 - 41
1 - 40
0 - 10
The groupings of these levels show how the vast majority of people are in the bottom part - and truthfully, I am still surprised with these results. We were always taught by our parents, teachers, coaches, etc. that we can do anything if we set our mind to it. All of us are equal and all of us are all-stars! We are born with the world in front of us and we carve our own destiny, anyone can be president, anyone can be an astronaut, anyone can be a star athlete or CEO business owner. Mister Rogers preached this and we ran with it.
However, RO and the hundreds of companies that follow this state this is not the case.
So what can you take away from this...... I personally continue to study this and the key thing I take away............. is to have awareness and help others see the same awareness.
As always, people are the key reason for success or failure in projects and business. To deliver the work, you must manage people. However, people need to be in roles that they can excel within. Once you have awareness of the work/people alignment, you can better manage the risks - since it will never be perfect.
AND remind everyone that is involved, this is not personal. This is trying to set up a systematic approach whereby we can increase the probability of success for that task, at that time and with that set of resources!
PS: if you want to know about RO, or how people are classified or how work is classified, be sure to visit the website below, or stay tuned and I will be doing a future post on both of these topics.
http://globalro.org/
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