Issues of sustainability need to be tackled at a programme level if they are to have a realistic impact on the global environment. However, the sustainability argument has to be justified in more ways than it simply being a ‘good thing’.
Eklington (1994) introduced the concept of the ‘triple bottom line’ – success measured by their social, economic and social impact. This introduces complexity – which is where programme management has a role to play.
Programme management was designed to address this kind of change and delivering this complex level of benefit.
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Discussion - Sustainability in projects
How do you imbed sustainability in projects and programmes? It is important to invest in demonstrating the benefits to the individual as well as the organisation and business.
Can you make a financial business case for adopting sustainable practices? It is certainly easier to demonstrate the benefit in the long term; the short term case is not always straight forward. As organisations adopt the ‘triple bottom line’ – the business case strengthens.
90% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has improved
0% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has been optimised
20% believe that sustainability awareness has reached a plateau
Can you make a financial business case for adopting sustainable practices? It is certainly easier to demonstrate the benefit in the long term; the short term case is not always straight forward. As organisations adopt the ‘triple bottom line’ – the business case strengthens.
90% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has improved
0% believe that the awareness of sustainability issues has been optimised
20% believe that sustainability awareness has reached a plateau
Conference calling - Penny Pullen
The use of conference calling is increasing and is particularly pertinent to project management. Issues such as cost, stress, time, environmental impact and work life balance are driving the need for a reduction in face-to-face meetings. However the value of the teleconference remains untapped due to a number of issues including lack of engagement, the casual nature of the meeting and the overall effectiveness in helping projects progress.
It is important to understand when remote meetings are appropriate. Meetings which require brainstorming etc. probably should be face to face. Meetings where the teams have high levels of trust, high commitment, urgent issues to deal with or where there is likely to be a low levels of conflict are most suitable to the media.
Some question whether the technology is too limiting and that this is reducing the effectiveness of the approach? Video conferencing, although more media-rich, can also be expensive and restrictive, however some kind of visual stimulus is useful for greater engagement.
It is important to understand when remote meetings are appropriate. Meetings which require brainstorming etc. probably should be face to face. Meetings where the teams have high levels of trust, high commitment, urgent issues to deal with or where there is likely to be a low levels of conflict are most suitable to the media.
Some question whether the technology is too limiting and that this is reducing the effectiveness of the approach? Video conferencing, although more media-rich, can also be expensive and restrictive, however some kind of visual stimulus is useful for greater engagement.
Round table - Are project management academies the future?
People not processes at heart of project success. Terry Cooke-Davies pm guilty of "schizophrenic" approach to people, asking different questions to that of processes and tools. People matter.
Brought into sharp focus by Paul Hodgkins at Siemens. 4% of company's global workforce (career pm) responsible for 50 per cent of business revenue and profitability. Siemens, which operates in 190 countries, developing "a common and consistent method of matching people capability with projects". Done through academy - a way of describing a joined-up approach to developing expert pm communication within an organisation."
Jeremy Galpin, Costain, described academy journey (measuring behaviour and cognitive ability) over past 18 months. Said it had "helped to minimise risk" of placing the wrong people with wrong projects. Also established national/internation benchmark to measure quality. Big draw of academy ability to develop consistency throughout organisation; transparency of resource moved around dif sectors; recognised on global scale.
Q&A session: Story sessions excellent way of learning. Connecting pm to pm. "Firm believer in letting people make mistakes," said Paul. "Biggest mistake is being afraid to make one." Share experiences. Pm mentor works well. Company man or all-round pm? Both. Pm needs to understand global language (meet customer expectations) but with internal perspective.
33% of organisation in session either have or are considering having pm academy.
94% of pm believe pm academy will become permanent feature of corporate project landscape.
Brought into sharp focus by Paul Hodgkins at Siemens. 4% of company's global workforce (career pm) responsible for 50 per cent of business revenue and profitability. Siemens, which operates in 190 countries, developing "a common and consistent method of matching people capability with projects". Done through academy - a way of describing a joined-up approach to developing expert pm communication within an organisation."
Jeremy Galpin, Costain, described academy journey (measuring behaviour and cognitive ability) over past 18 months. Said it had "helped to minimise risk" of placing the wrong people with wrong projects. Also established national/internation benchmark to measure quality. Big draw of academy ability to develop consistency throughout organisation; transparency of resource moved around dif sectors; recognised on global scale.
Q&A session: Story sessions excellent way of learning. Connecting pm to pm. "Firm believer in letting people make mistakes," said Paul. "Biggest mistake is being afraid to make one." Share experiences. Pm mentor works well. Company man or all-round pm? Both. Pm needs to understand global language (meet customer expectations) but with internal perspective.
33% of organisation in session either have or are considering having pm academy.
94% of pm believe pm academy will become permanent feature of corporate project landscape.
Reduction in complexity by system orientated management - Dr Walter Kroy
"With spacecraft no chance of changing parts when you're near Mercury or Mars." Pre-planning essential.
Human brain is most complex system. "Best advice, use your brain. More complex than a computer."
Need to simplify systems. A system is a connection of different elements. If no way to calcualte future state of system, then you have complex system. Use other instruments.
Process approach: dynamic network of processes and interactions. Most things in life not predictable. When analysing system need to get creative.
Human brain is most complex system. "Best advice, use your brain. More complex than a computer."
Need to simplify systems. A system is a connection of different elements. If no way to calcualte future state of system, then you have complex system. Use other instruments.
Process approach: dynamic network of processes and interactions. Most things in life not predictable. When analysing system need to get creative.
Approaches to complex project management - Michael Cavanagh
"Two types of people in this world: simplifiers and complicators."
Need to simplify complexity. Things work on individual basis but put them together and they don't work. T5 good example - fantastic system but disaster because lack of systemic approach to testing real world experience.
Complex based on uncertainty, non-linearity and recoursiveness. Why use linear life-cycle for complex projects? Why pretend they are predictable and definable when not fixed?
Deal with complexity 1st order pm tools but basic tools not enough. 2nd order pm contracting models applicable. Key tools outcome management and honing leadership. "Better to do the right thing the wrong way rather than wrong thing right way."
Bureaucratic vs adhocracy approach. About thinking differently. Connections between new and old learning. Getting people to use brain. "Learn in experience not from experience. But only learn from own experience."
Experiential learning. "Drowning in information. Attention at a premium. Attention by its nature crude and vulgar." Trust in professionalism. "People good at job. Sniff out problem but need to argue rationally in order to articulate it."
Should systems thinking be part of the competency profile for project managers? Yes 96%. No 4%.
Have you personally ever thought of using a systems thinking approach to pm? 80% yes. 20% no.
Do you have to deal in your org with tasks which seem so complex that you can imagine failure? 96% yes. 4% no.
Need to simplify complexity. Things work on individual basis but put them together and they don't work. T5 good example - fantastic system but disaster because lack of systemic approach to testing real world experience.
Complex based on uncertainty, non-linearity and recoursiveness. Why use linear life-cycle for complex projects? Why pretend they are predictable and definable when not fixed?
Deal with complexity 1st order pm tools but basic tools not enough. 2nd order pm contracting models applicable. Key tools outcome management and honing leadership. "Better to do the right thing the wrong way rather than wrong thing right way."
Bureaucratic vs adhocracy approach. About thinking differently. Connections between new and old learning. Getting people to use brain. "Learn in experience not from experience. But only learn from own experience."
Experiential learning. "Drowning in information. Attention at a premium. Attention by its nature crude and vulgar." Trust in professionalism. "People good at job. Sniff out problem but need to argue rationally in order to articulate it."
Should systems thinking be part of the competency profile for project managers? Yes 96%. No 4%.
Have you personally ever thought of using a systems thinking approach to pm? 80% yes. 20% no.
Do you have to deal in your org with tasks which seem so complex that you can imagine failure? 96% yes. 4% no.
Project manager as diplomat - Leon Lau
Problems of dealing with variety of stakeholders to deliver project success. Leon Lau gave example of working in NHS. Care Pathway redesign looking at patient journey from GP referral to surgery. "No one chain of command, lots of different organisations but not working together." Need to engage all stakeholders: patients, GPs, PCT management, hospital clinicians, hospital nursing staff, hospital management. "Large number of stakeholders reside in silos." Diplomatic skills to bring different groups together. Ideal number of stakeholders at meeting 4-5. Good idea to have project champions to cut numbers.
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