In the haze of my anger and regret, I lost my temper. I’m usually the calm and collected one, but something snapped and I let my emotions take over. Some people will say I put a dent in my reputation. Others will see me as someone who stood up for what they believe in. There are others who won’t care. I am one of those. But, to understand the whole story, we need to go back to today’s interviews for entry level project managers.
Our CFO shared the preliminary sales figures at the CEOs staff meeting a few weeks ago. Sales showed a slight, but noticeable increase. This increase was from new customers he said. No made any comments about why these new customers bought from us. But I knew a few of them had bought from us because of our new CCPM ways. They didn’t call it that, of course. It was because of our clear improvements in delivery performance and because of our on-time delivery guarantee.
The Interview Bologna
I won’t make you sit through all the interviews, but by the end of the day I was at the end of my rope. Every candidate was on time and well dressed. Every candidate had clean, crisp copies of their resume. And, almost every candidate spouted the same bologna.
Many candidates had their Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. While I value continued education, I asked them to describe their experiences to get their PMP certification. They all said about the same thing.
The one with the dark, charcoal suit said, “I wanted to learn how to get projects done on-time and on budget. The two year program of taking course and quizzes fit in with my schedule.” And, “Being right out of college, I had to plan my finances since the certification is not exactly cheap.”
A Quicker Way to Get Results
I thought back on how long and what effort it required to bring our due date performance into the 90% range (from about 50%). Once we learned more about and decided to use the CCPM approach, I held a 30 minute overview meeting with my staff. This meeting conveyed my sense of urgency and the agenda for the next few weeks. Our non-software sales man, Gary, conducted a four hour training session for my staff and our project managers.
We went right into building CCPM project networks. Upgrading our project plans took about two months. In parallel the in-flight projects were being managed according to buffer management and the CCPM rules. All together and being conservative, this training process took about three to four months. We were seeing solid on-time performance results at about five months. So, why does it take someone two years just to learn how to manage projects?
Of course, we had seasoned project managers, but we also some that were new to the project management profession. Could some of their knowledge and experience carry over and make them more receptive to new ideas and the CCPM way of working? I don’t think so.
I looked into the certifications our folks had and found that about half had PMI certifications, too. I don’t think their prior knowledge helped them at all. And, we encountered the usual resistance to change I’ve seen before.
Also, CCPM has a handful of new ways of doing things that PMI does not teach; both in the planning and in the execution stages. (These new ways have been covered before). But, at the end of the day, what do you want to do, take two years and learn how to get mediocre results or take three to four months and get world class results? See why I’m starting to get irritated with what I was hearing?
More Questions About What Was Taught
Being a glutton for punishment, I had more questions. Such as, “What was one of the most important things you learned during the past two years?”
The responses boiled down to “knowing where to focus. The job of a project manager is a complicated one and there are a complex series of issues to attend to. The PMP tools helped me know where to focus.”
Three things came to mind when I heard these comments. First, if the basic method of managing project they were taught is the critical path method (the longest path of only task dependencies). This methods makes focusing difficult, if not impossible. Let me explain.
I used to use the critical path myself. I would chase down the resources doing the work on the day they promised to have the work done. These so-called task update meetings revolved around asking the resource doing the work, “did you get the work done you promised or not (usually not because of all the multi-tasking they’re doing).” Whatever the answer was, I updated the tasks with the new task due date.
Then, I entered the updates into my project management software, in this case Microsoft Project, the software recalculated the critical path. Voila! A completely new set of tasks to focus on. Almost always they were not the ones I was focusing on before the updates. How can someone say they learned to focus when the tools they were using distorted their priorities each time there was an update to the project task due dates?
Second, I reminded myself about when we use the CCPM software tools, the algorithm identifies the critical chain (the longest path of task and resource dependencies). And, as long as the cumulative task variabilities stay within the normal parameters, the critical chain stays the critical chain throughout the life of the project.
Stability Improves the Ability to Focus
The ability to focus on a never changing set of tasks. This is much easier to manage. Why doesn’t the PMI teach this approach if their priority is to teach their community where to focus? I moan to myself.
Third, a complex system is one in which the dependencies are not known. A change in any element of the system has unexpected effects on the other elements. And, the greater the number of unexpected effects the more complex the system. OK, enough theory.
Practically, to build a CCPM project networks we use the dependency logic of cause and effect and limit the amount of complexity. The cause and effect relationships between tasks are known. When there are a few independent variables, the system is more predictable. The project is less complex.
Since most critical path based project use a work breakdown structure little cause and effect logic exists. Is it any wonder these PMI certified folks still think projects are complex beings?
Good Marketing Has Its Advantages
Finally, the sentiment most candidates related to me in one way or another was that “there is nothing that can make managing projects simple.” This one cooked my goose.
These comments are from folks who spent hundreds of dollars on training, from an apparent reputable organization known world-wide, and who toiled long into the night studying their materials. To continue to have this outlook on their work life borders on negligence.
But, it’s good marketing. If I promise something as impossible and I also offer the cure, I’m guaranteed to get some attention. And, make good money offering and upgrading my training and certification options for years and years.
I’m not blaming the participants here, they don’t know any better. If I’m blaming anyone, it’s an organization that perpetuate the gloom and doom difficulty of managing project. Teaching skills which have little or no effect on their primary mission––to finish project on time and within budget––is despicable.
Some Documented Results
But, don’t take my work for it. A Price Waterhouse Coopers surveyed 10,649 projects, across 200 companies, and in 30 countries. The survey results include a 50% failure rate.
Even more damning is a 2014 report from the PMI itself. They surveyed 1,100 accredited members and here were their published results:
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Only 38 percent of projects finish on time and within budget, according to new research by Project Management Institute (PMI).
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“Organizations continue wasting $109 million for every $1 billion invested in projects and programs,” according to Mark A. Langley, president and CEO of the Project Management Institute.
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Within the last year, only half of projects finished on time and 55 percent finished within their initial budgets, according to the 2,800 project management leaders surveyed.
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Remember, these are results from their own members. And, from their website, you find drivel like this:
“The PMP adds value. CIO magazine ranked the PMP as the top project management certification in North America because it demonstrates you have the specific skills employers seek, dedication to excellence and the capacity to perform at the highest levels.”
An Alternative Approach to Planning & Managing Projects
For us, it took a few weeks and the thinking of the project teams involved to develop a way to make the project management process efficient and effective. We use an express stakeholder analysis to collect the minimal effect dose of information we need to start project planning.
Then, we use a 10-step planning process to create a solid, good enough project plan. We use the software execution rules and performance indicators to compete projects on time. Of course, there is a monthly fee for the software, but based on the new business we were starting to see, the software is paying for itself.
One More Interview and a Glimmer of Hope
When our last interview made his way through the door, I didn’t want to hear any more about the conventional project management approaches. Denton Johns introduced himself. His angular face, broad shoulders, and the fabric on his dark, brown suit strained against his shoulders.
I asked him to sit and gave him our standard “this is who we are and why we you should consider working here” pitch. He listened. He craned his neck as if he couldn’t hear me well.
His resume showed about five years of project management experience. He also listed the time he worked on his family farm. it showed the bookkeeping activities he was responsible for and all the animals he bred and took care of. And, he had also designed and developed the farm’s on-site processing facilities. Impressive.
Then I asked him, “I see you have your PMP certification. How many projects have you delivered on time and within budget?” My end of the day questions were a little more straight forward and direct.
Denton said, “Well, none, actually. A few were cancelled before we could finish them. I never worked so hard on the other ones, but there was only so much we could do.”
I have a feeling that I’ve heard this before. Some of the other interviewees said about the same thing. We’ve had seven interviews and it was turning into a wasted day. It seemed like the trend would continue. But, I pressed on.
I asked, “What tools did you use to plan and execute your projects?”
Denton said, “We tried to follow the standard PMI process. But, we had to cut some corners because they took too much effort. Getting agreement was difficult and we were getting pressure from our customers to start work as soon as we could. We also used MS Project to plan our projects after completing the work breakdown structure.”
“And, did you use any advanced plug-in for MS Project or did you use it right out of the box”, I asked.
He said, “It was right out of the box. Honestly, what frustrated me was it was like playing wack-a-mole after each update meeting.”
My eyes looked into his. I waited.
He continued, “Every time there was an update, I had to scramble and find the right thing to focus on. I have to admit, it was not easy to keep everyone pointed in the right direction. I’m sure we could have done better, but there was never enough time to get everything done.”
I said nothing. Again, Denton had the same story, the same tools, and the same results. When were people going to learn. Or, at least, stop digging when they found themselves in a deep, dark hole. I took a breath.
“One more question, Denton, if you don’t mind,” I said.
He nodded.
I asked, “Do you think your project management education was worth it?”
He said nothing.
I said in a tone louder and firmer than usual, “Let me see if I have this right. It’s clear you are used to hard work. But, you spent about two years and hundreds of dollars on knowledge which didn’t appear to help you get the promised results.”
The others in the room were looking at me now. I continued in a louder voice, “Working on a farm, you are used to using the right tools for the right job. But, you used project management tools that were either dull or broken.”
Denton sat stock still. I could see the sweat forming along his upper lip.
With some restraint I added, “And, the experience you have running the family business is impressive at anyone’s age. But, I can’t see where the value of the PMP certification is for you. So, why do you want to still be a project manager?”
The Turning Point
Denton said nothing.
I looked at him and waited for an answer. I was surprised when it finally came.
He finally said, “I know project management is a valuable skill and I want to find a better way with a different company to make a positive impact on the world.”
Now is was my turn to say nothing. I bowed my head and collected myself. I made a small note on Denton’s resume and passed it to my HR Director.
I said, “Denton, I’m sorry for blowing up on you and I didn’t mean to do it. There are too many people in the same position you are in and I hate to see good talent go to waste.”
He smiled and nodded his appreciation of my comments.
I asked, “How would you like to come back for a second interview? We can start over on the right foot. I won’t ask you about any past project management experience, but I’ll go into more detail about how we do things around here? I know you will like what you see.”
He said, “I would like that. And, thanks for the apologies, but honestly I’ve wrangled bulls tougher than you.”
I smiled, shook his hand, and walked him to the front door.
Meanwhile, the problems the projects intended to solve get delayed or don’t get solved at all because many of them are running on old, obsolete ways of thinking. They have little chance of success.
For some companies to sell the dream of learning how to deliver projects on time and within budget while offering no useful knowledge is a business based on hot air. Some folks thrive on hot air. But, aren’t good results what everyone is looking for? Some organizations don’t think so.
Thank goodness for our small bubble of sanity that we’ve created for ourselves. Thank goodness for folks like Denton who are open and willing to learn new things. I am feeling hopeful as I head for the front door myself.