Risk Analysis Doesn't Have to Be Scary

I'm working on a project and we're having an important phone meeting on Friday. The Project Manager (my friend) was talking with me about some things that could go wrong. What if the clients postpone the call (again)? What if they don't like who we're proposing to do the work? What if the partner on the call goes off on a different agenda that doesn't further the purpose?

My friend was spit-balling ideas and worries. "No problem," I said. "You're doing a risk analysis and that's the perfect thing to do at this time." I suggested we talk about the very worst case scenario that could happen – just to get that out of the way. My friend laughed.

We realized that even if the worst happened, we could deal with it. Even thinking about the worst possible thing happening was balancing. What if these things did happen? Would we survive? (Of course!) Would the world fall apart? (Well, no.)

Doing a risk analysis in a project involves a few more steps but this is a good start. It's also a great way to get perspective on a project and deal with what could go wrong... or very right!

Will Working on Projects Help You Be Less Stressed?

I was talking with a business manager the other day about organizing a presentation for her group. She said, "It's always so hectic around here, people aren't so organized. Let's see if they have time to attend the session."

I replied, "Well, there you go. Project management can help with that!"

How can working with a project mindset help with organization?

First, there's the defining of the project itself and its scope. What are we doing and not doing? Clarifying that will help keep focus and eliminate unnecessary efforts.

Then there's the schedule. What has to be done next? Can someone else do part of the work concurrently to save time? Knowing what is to be done when can help reduce the running-around-with-the-head-cut-off routine.

And there's risk analysis. What should we take care of now and what money can we put aside for in case uncertain events occur? Then we can rest assured we have taken care of the what-if's and what-may-happen and get on with the job.

These are just a few examples of how organizing work into projects can reduce stress. But let's not forget communications – lack of proper communications can cause many headaches in a project. That's why identifying who is interested in the project, who can affect it positively and negatively, and how the stakeholders want to be communicated with, is so important.

If we can define these things at the beginning of the project and keep an eye on them as we go along, we will have a stronger project.

Root Cause Analysis Reveals Options

This past week I have witnessed two miracles.

For the past four months, my son Zachary has been unable to walk on his right foot and since February he could not talk due to a violent cough.

After taking him to many doctors and health professionals of all types (24 altogether!), no cure was found. Until we came upon Dr. MacAdam, a chiropractor who corrected the problem in two visits. With some manipulations of the spine and neck, Zachary was walking and talking again. (Thanks Dr. MacAdam - and to all who helped along the way.)

It would be good to know for sure why the problems occurred, though we may never know with certainty. In the meantime, we can look at possible causes, and possibly rule some out. Below is my simple root cause analysis diagram (also called a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram) pertaining to the situation.

Such a flexible tool that can help in many cases.

Why Record Lessons Learned?

In projects, it is a good practice to document 'lessons learned'. These are things we have discovered to do - or not do - to make our projects stronger. For example, we may have learned to order supplies earlier, to have team meetings in the mornings, or to print reports to give to the sponsor.

According to the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), lessons learned are: "The knowledge gained during a project which shows how project events were addressed or should be addressed in the future with the purpose of improving future performance."

Documenting lessons learned benefits our current project, and ours and other's future projects.

Lessons learned are often gathered by teams in end-of-phase or project closing meetings. Like any facilitated meeting, it is useful to have a meeting leader and someone who records the discussion for these meetings.

Another way to gather these lessons is through a shared document, for example, a Google document. Using such a document allows team members to input the lessons learned as they occur. I can say this is one lesson I have learned: to not leave documentation to the end of the week or the month, but to record things as closely to their occurrence as possible.

It’s not just the fact of having the lessons learned for later use that makes them so important; it’s not even just the getting together of the team to record them, or the ability of team members to provide input to project processes. It is the positive outlook generated in the team by knowing the project is continuously looking for improvements - looking 'on the bright side', you might say.

After all, projects are for learning.

Contract Improvements

This week I had some contract issues to look at regarding an agreement with a supplier. Several areas concerning deliverables needed to be examined.

I called the supplier to get more insight on what had happened. They said they would investigate and get back to me.

Then I sought out my trusted advisors, who gave good recommendations. But something was still gnawing at me, so I called Bob, my older brother who has run a very successful business for many years.

Bob said, "Thank the supplier for their work - everyone needs more thanks." He went on to say there will always be challenges in business, and that’s when we improve. This advice resonated with me. Yes, take the high road and learn from the situation.

Doing so was definitely the best option for my business, in several ways. It would keep the business relationship (which is what a contract signifies), and would also keep me and my associates in a positive frame of mind. This last part, I believe, being the most important part of the lesson.

The Best Kind of Goal for Managing Change

I attended a workshop recently which was about change and how people deal with it. My goal in attending was mainly to learn more about myself and how I react to change that I didn’t originate (that is, a change imposed upon me).

I learned much from this workshop. One key point was to focus on learning instead of on performance during such a time of forced change.

Here is a tip I found useful: If your first reaction to something unfamiliar is, “I can’t do that,” instead say, “How do I learn to do that?”

The course taught*: “When facing a challenge, some people adopt performance goals which focus on demonstrating a certain level of competence. Others adopt learning goals which focus on increasing their capability. Learning goals are generally more helpful than performance goals during periods of change.

People with learning goals tend to see setbacks as information about the effectiveness of their strategies and become motivated to keep trying. They understand that learning new skills often requires going through a phase of awkwardness, confusion and failure.”

Knowing that on the other side of confusion and awkwardness is the learning, keeps me keeping on learning.

I hope you found this useful. Please let me know how you implement it in your work.

* excerpt from Developing Resilience During Change by Gregg Brown, Tidal Shift Inc. - for more info contact gregg.brown@tidalshift.ca

Breaking It Down

Sometimes when I look at an important project I am about to start, I get overwhelmed with the idea of it. It feels like, "It's just too much." Then I remember there is an easy way around this - break it down!

When I was in school, I won some contests for writing. One key to writing is the same principle - breaking the idea down into smaller parts. Even though we didn’t use the term 'mind map' then, as my kids do all the time in school now, that's what I did. I took the idea and broke it into its subcomponents and then further subdivided. Working on each part was much easier than trying to throw ideas willy-nilly at the whole.

When creating a training course, it’s the same principle - break it down. Looking at the topic of project management as a whole can be a bit daunting because there is a lot of information. The key, again, is to break the main idea into parts. What are we doing on Day One, Day Two, and so on? We want to make sure each topic is covered in the right amount.

So, if you have a big idea that's confusing you (I know when this happens to me, it's when I ignore the idea, pushing it to the side because it's "just too big" to think about), try this: take a quiet moment and write down the 'parts' of the idea. Then, put them in order as to the weight to be given to each part.

I hope this makes you feel better and breathe a sigh of relief because you are on your way to achieving your goal!

This breaking down process is really what the work breakdown structure (WBS) is all about. The WBS has been reported to be the most valuable tool by 74% of project managers.

Kindness on the Road

Recently my husband, Dan, and son, Zachary, went to a Scout Camp in Terra Nova Park, Newfoundland. Dan drove up with our older Honda. After the Scout Camp, they decided to do some camping on their own.

Well, the car had a problem. As Dan was driving along the highway, about an hour and a half from St. John's, it started to die. Soon enough the car decided to stop working altogether and he pulled over to the side of the highway.

It was raining. When the rain stopped, Dan and Zachary started hiking to the nearest store or garage. Dan had thought it was about a kilometer away. Luckily, a fellow in a truck stopped and picked them up. The nearest garage was ten kilometers away.

Dan called me from the garage and said he would be getting a taxi to the next town, which was Whitbourne. I called my brother in St. John's, asking if he could pick them up in Whitbourne after work. He said they would go out right away.

Later I learned Dan didn't get a taxi to Whitbourne - the garage owner's wife drove them. And the fellow who picked them up on the highway had actually seen them as he passed by, realized they might need help, and circled back at the next exit to pick them up.

No moral here - just wanted to share my first of several stories of the kindness of Newfoundlanders.