What if you are your project’s biggest risk?

Post written by Jason Z., Project Manager at Ideaca. Read more about project management on his blog: Unnatural Leadership.

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing” – Alexander Pope

While I was studying to become a project manager, I believed what A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (known as the PMBOK) and my professors had to say as the gospel truth: a project is a project is a project. It didn’t matter that I had no experience building a bridge, planning a wedding, or configuring a database server…I was going to be a professional project manager, and that meant that I could manage anything (so long as I followed the 5 phases of the PMBOK and did everything that the 11 knowledge areas told me to do)!

For a while, that was the case. I made sure that all of my projects had strong technical people that were good communicators so as to provide good estimates, identify risks early and often, and manage the details of the deliverables. I was able to focus on managing at the executive level, facilitating problem resolution, and provide project administration support.

But then it happened – I was assigned a project where I had a little bit of technical knowledge, but not much, and was paired with some intermediate resources. They were technically strong, but were relatively inexperienced in working in a large project setting. At the time, though, I did not know this and just assumed that they were as skilled as every other project team I had worked with in the past. When we sat down to plan, I used the same process as with my other project teams; when we ran status meetings, I used the same process as with other project teams; and when we identified risks, I used the same process as with other project teams. However, development activities continued to miss dates, and my inquiry into what went wrong with the team yielded answers like “we don’t know.”

As a result, I used my fairly limited knowledge of the subject area to help plug the gaps that I saw. When asked questions by the sponsor and subject matter experts, I gave them answers that I believed to be true without consulting the team. When asked questions about the technology by the IT operations team, I gave answers that I had heard given in the past without consulting the team. And then things started to go really wrong. The client kept asking the team about things that I had said, and were told opposite things, the project team kept freezing me out of discussions, and my Program Manager came back to me with feedback that I was about to be fired from my project.

At that point, having a team that was not as strong as my previous teams was not the issue. My assumptions, silo’d decision making due to frustrations, and unfair expectations of the team introduced a myriad of risks, which of course I didn’t capture in the risk register, to the deliverables. These risks almost immediately became issues when I communicated out without consulting the team. I was the issue. I was the project’s biggest risk to scope, schedule, and budget.

So what should I have done?

1. Don’t assume you know everything

Even though I had some experience with the technical area, and was a well seasoned project manager, I should not have assumed that I knew better than the team. It’s ok to say “I don’t know”, so long as you promise to get the answers and follow up.

2. Consider your team’s requirements

Instead of forcing the team through processes that worked well for other teams, I should have considered their requirements in the locus of their experience level. During the “forming” and “storming” phases of team development, I should have been asking questions rather than imposing processes. When I saw a process that did not work, I should not have knee-jerked into command and control mode; rather I should have worked with the team to re-assess.

3. Recognize that you cannot push a rope up a hill

As a project manager, it is your job to facilitate successful project outcomes. Unless you are explicitly performing a specific role on a project team, your only true deliverables are status reports, communications, and facilitated sessions. It is up to your team to deliver the technical content. If there are performance issues, talk to the team members (and then their managers if required). If there are scope concerns, talk to your sponsor. If there are resourcing concerns, talk to your project management office. Do not try to own the issue; try to facilitate resolution.

In the end, I focused heavily on #2 and #3 and struggled with #1 through to project closure. After giving answers for so long, it was hard not to. As far as the project was concerned, after a re-baseline, it was delivered to scope, schedule, and budget constraints.

What type of learning opportunities have you had through projects? How else could a Project Manager be the project’s biggest risk?

The Internet of Things: Our Bright Future or Inevitable Downfall

Post written by Blake W., Management Consultant at Ideaca. Read more on his blog: Blake Watson.

The Internet of Things (IoT), essentially a future-focused concept where everyday devices connect and communicate data in an intelligent fashion is a highly contested topic. Will it mark the beginning of a new era in our civilization or a catastrophic detriment to the world as we know it? Skipping over the possibility of our technology becoming self-aware and “terminating” us, these two polar opposites are often portrayed in the discussion of this topic. This post will broadly summarize the IoT and discuss the positives and negatives in relation to our daily lives.

So what is the IoT? It is a term that has been vaguely used since the 1990’s and has gained traction since its initial public proposal by Kevin Ashton in 1999. It is a term that suggests a heavy increase in device-to-device and device-to-Internet connectivity. By equipping these devices into a worldwide network of miniscule identification devices the IoT could transform our daily lives.

Is this interconnectivity even possible? Simply put, yes. Technology is growing at a rapid pace, confirming Moore’s Law, wherein Gordon E. Moore’s observed that the transistors, and thus the processing power of our devices, double approximately every two years. Although many have debated the staying power of this observation, the exponential potential of this theory is astounding. If the past few decades are any indication, the IoT is a highly probable (and sometimes frightening) reality.

As mentioned before, the IoT could transform life as we know it. A simple scenario: You get home from a busy day at work. Monitors in your home identify you and let you in. Immediately, the room taps into a wealth of your personal information and preferences…climate control, music, lighting, and digital décor. These sensors may even be able to determine what you want for dinner and start preparing it for you based off of what is in your refrigerator. Some of these devices are already available through “smart” technology. Within the next 20, the possibilities are endless.

THE GOOD:

For the individual, the IoT integration arguably increases our standards of living. No longer are we plagued by menial tasks that take up our days. The IoT essentially frees up time and energy that could be better spent productively or recreationally. It doesn’t necessarily mean that as a collective we will be healthier, happier individuals. However, we will have more opportunity to achieve this lifestyle.

From the business perspective, greater analytic capabilities are accessible to management and supervisors. Asset tracking, inventory controls, and financial drilldowns are far more accurate. Location services, automation, and device interconnectivity eliminate a great deal of the “guess-timation” involved in these operations. Sectors such as consulting, financial services, and even health could benefit greatly from these advancements.

Businesses also have access to a huge amount of data. Big Data will be a simple task compared to the vast amount of information that corporations will be able to collect from client usage and habits. We will have to start considering XXXL Data as opposed to Big Data. Billions and even trillions of source data will give business owners the tools to minutely tailor their products and marketing to individuals in the most literal sense of the word.

THE BAD:

The IoT has a dark side to it. Many people feel a sense of unease when they consider the privacy concerns the IoT imposes. If you are the slightest bit afraid of “Big Brother”, then the IoT is not for you. The amount of information that can be collected by governments and corporations through the billions of personal, business, and home devices is astounding. These devices sometimes know more about you than you do.

Another hot topic at the moment is job security; for low income earners, the IoT could make things especially tough. A number of unskilled tasks (and even some higher level analytics) might easily be replaced by a network of devices connected to the IoT.

Another concern is the effect that this new world order may have on our physical health. When all of our devices are communicating, making decisions, and essentially managing our lives for us, the opportunity to become complacent with that level of comfort is tempting. The World Health Organization estimates that over 65% of the world’s population currently lives in countries where obesity kills more people than being underweight. This upward trend isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon, especially with the continued introduction of technology that makes our lives even easier.

OVERALL:

Although there are many negatives that could affect reception of the IoT, it is my belief that reactions will be mostly positive. Although some aspects of these new technologies are to our detriment, there is a great deal of benefit that can come from an increased awareness of the IoT. As younger generations are brought up with modern day technologies, we may begin to see society move away from a privacy-centric culture. This shift would effectively reduce public outcry for greater privacy rights in this changing environment.

Although malicious Internet hackers and identity thieves may pry on the wealth of information available, we are facing no greater threat in the future than we are now. Security safeguards are in place and continue to develop. At the same time, data thieves are growing their methods for subverting such safeguards. This struggle for access and security will continue with no real definitive end in sight. Therefore, data security should not be considered within scope of this discussion.

The main problem moving towards our ideal vision of the IoT is that it will depend heavily upon data sharing and corporate cooperation. Think of all of the different products in your home… appliances, personal devices, clothing, and climate control. Seamless integration is necessary to ensure the IoT is able to function effectively in your daily life. If your devices cannot access the personal information it needs it will not function properly. It is hard to imagine companies (For example, Apple and Samsung) sharing customer data and integrating their products out of the box. Cooperation will be mandatory and it is something that companies will have to be overcome as we move forward with the IoT.

As briefly mentioned above, consulting firms such as Ideaca Knowledge Services will benefit greatly from the wealth of information available to them. The greater availability of information resources will allow their consultants to better assess client needs. Having clear needs from both the client and end consumer is essential. Better data means better solutions and ultimately better deliverables.

Whatever your take is on the IoT, there are a lot of variables to take into account. The changes that it will bring to our society are truly hard to imagine 20 years out. For good or for bad, the world is growing and developing towards the IoT. Will we try to hold on to our present state of technology or embrace these changes when they come?

Advice For Junior PMs – Do Not Be Afraid To Communicate Risks That Have Become Issues

Post written by Jason Z., Project Manager at Ideaca. Read more about project management on his blog: Unnatural Leadership.

You saw it coming. You captured it in the risk register, reviewed the mitigation plan with your team and had them alter some of the response strategy. It’s even part of your status report. And then the risk event occurred, but you didn’t know how to have the conversation with your project sponsor.

I understand. I’ve had some awkward conversations myself. It can be intimidating to walk into your sponsor’s office for a status update and having to try to (not so subtly) clearly say that you will need more money, time, or resources to properly respond to the risk event and keep the project on track.

So how should you handle it? What should you have done?

Before the project begins, provide your sponsor some context of the situation. Not all status meetings will be positive progress updates, but not all status meetings will require intervention. You are there to be honest and to steward the process, not sugar coat things. Besides, when it comes time for the risk event to occur, you have identified it and have a response plan.

If you are stuck, and feel like you need to save your skin during the project – don’t panic. If your sponsor has even one more grey hair then you, this is not the first time they have had to have this type of conversation. Be honest, be confident, and have your facts in order. You have identified the risk, and you have a response plan.

For both circumstances – ensure that at subsequent status meetings, you are reviewing risks that are relevant for your current project phase.

Have you ever had a really awkward conversation about risks with your sponsor? How did you handle it?

Visibility in EHS

Post written by Peter T., a Management Consultant at Ideaca. Read more on his blog: Visibility.

You might ask yourself, why the focus on Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)? Well, besides the fact that there is a lot of attention on this specific operational area, I feel the industry as a whole has created such a buzz about the benefits of an effective EHS Management System (EHSMS), that organizations are looking at implementing an EHSMS without clearly thinking about the overall value drivers for doing this.

While operationally most organizations have varying EHS needs, the following requirements are often the same: ensuring that they minimize operational risks, sustain and improve the safety record of the workplace, maintain and advance environmental management efficiency, and comply with regulatory mandates. Meeting these requirements however involves designing cohesive EHS processes, a systems integration approach, cooperation across the enterprise, the ability to consolidate information, and a supportive management team that will ensure roadblocks are eliminated or minimized. In essence, a true EHS Management System is beneficial.

However, there are significant challenges that exist when it comes to designing an effective and complete EHS solution. These core challenges are related to data and the specific industry sector. The way data is being managed, collected and utilized is an important component. A common complaint is that there is too much data and not enough information. Individuals seem to be spending more time organizing and finding data than analyzing it. In most cases data management techniques within organizations are not integrated, coming in various forms such as paper files, countless reports, and spreadsheets.

By the time data comes into the operation it is already out of date and not current. It often takes more time to reinterpret and merge current data into existing reports than to redo all the reports over again. Also, tedious ways of doing things and the lack of resources needed to truly re-engineer business processes leaves an operational gap with no big picture of organizational conditions. Departments often work in silos, data and knowledge is not shared across the organization, which leads to inconsistent EHS event handling. These business process, technology and data-specific challenges are further magnified by additional industry related conditions that usually prevent already resource drained organizations from engaging in optimization and improvement initiatives.

So with all these challenges, how do you setup an effective EHS Management System? The key is to identify the core business value drivers of the organization, and ensure that all your EHS initiatives drive to meet these values. These tangible business values can include: increase revenue, decrease costs, operational efficiencies, increase capacity, etc. Intangible value drivers however are significantly harder to prove and require a larger effort to gauge their business value.  These include: expertise, company reputation, employee morale, compliance risk, etc. It is not hard to address a tangible profitability business value.  The value gained from the purchase of a new piece of equipment that will improve operations can easily be determined. Reputation or compliance risks, however, are important non-tangible value drivers. A non-compliance incident can easily push profitability value initiatives to the bottom of the list.

By implementing an effective EHSMS, we can easily monitor and measure all intangible value drivers identified.

The Future (IS) Worker

Post written by Chris S., Project Manager at Ideaca. Read more about project management on his blog: The Outspoken Data Guy.

If the lines have not already been blurred, they will be…Over the next 10 years business and IS work will undergo a major transformation, largely driven by the Cloud and Data Analytics.

In the next 10 years, internal IS staff will act solely as advisers and managers of cloud services.

As more and more businesses embrace cloud services, IS will be called upon to act as advisers to ensure that these services are managed as efficiently as possible. As a consequence, this will push IS Governance further into the limelight. For years IS has had the notion of charge-back to the business to help manage costs and allocate them to those that use services. This approach has been mired in political push back and logistical challenges around how this would be done in a fair and equitable manner. As we move towards a “Pay for Usage” model in the cloud, these costs will be far easier to allocate back to those that use and hence IS will get a more accurate picture of costs of services and a far better allocation model.

This likely will not sit well with legacy users but the notion of “pay for usage” is so common place with Generation Z that this will be a virtual non issue. With this political hurdle out of the way, the focus can shift to more efficient use of IS resources and to ensure that businesses are getting value.

It is hard to argue with the value of using cloud services. At present there are the usual security and performance questions but over the next few years these concerns will be addresses and we will all have our heads in the clouds.

The new beast - hybrid IS and Business Person

Who is the future (IS) worker? And what skills will they need to bring to the table?

In my opinion the niche where people will have the most success will be with a hybrid of IS and business skills. There is no real debate that the world is increasingly becoming more data driven and the ability to turn data into actionable insights will become more in demand. So what does that mean? It means that workers will need to have 2 very key kills:

a) A deep understanding of the business and b) the ability to analyze data and derive insights.

This phenomenon, coupled with the cloud will allow Business Intelligence services to move closer to the business with IS once again acting as advisers, which is where BI needs to be currently in organizations. Unfortunately it gets stuck into an unnecessary tug of war between IS and the Business.

Bottom line: Business users will have to become more technically savvy as is articulated in Thomas Davenports “Keeping up with the Quants.”

Business Intelligence is weaving its way into our daily lives - it is the age of data.

Building on the above, on a daily basis we are increasingly faced with data that we use to guide our actions, personal or otherwise. Real time traffic signs that tell us how long it takes to get somewhere, integrated budgeting software in our banking site that monitor our daily spending and alert us to certain conditions that we are interested in and feedback about restaurants that we may want to have lunch at. These are just a few examples of where data is used daily to guide our decisions.

 Bottom line: Data and analysis are becoming a way of life and will continue to forge its way into the mainstream.

Project Management isn’t just for IT or Engineering anymore

Post written by Jason Z., Project Manager at Ideaca. Read more about project management on his blog: Unnatural Leadership.

As part of this month’s Ideaca blogging network challenge, we were tasked with discussing our thoughts on Emerging Practices.

One of my favorite quotes to reference from the The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK, pronounced pemmmmbock) is “As project management is a critical strategic discipline, the project manager becomes the link between the strategy and the team. Projects are essential to the growth and survival of organizations.” So, while operational duties are of very high importance to maintaining the forward momentum and revenue generation for a company, projects are strategic and help organizations react to changes in the external environment that may slow forward momentum and/or impair revenue generation.

Taking this as rote, one Emerging Practice that I am pleased to see is that more industries and functions – outside of Engineering and IT – are recognizing the need for project management:

• In the legal sector, project management has been a fairly hot topic since approximately 2010. It’s also getting more attention in law schools.
• Digital Ad Agencies position project managers to help their customers realize a marketing vision.
• The Human Resources designation – Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) - now has a focus on Project Management.
• Investment Banks have started hiring project managers to help manage deals.

So what does this mean for Project Management as a career? It means that effective Project Management is not just for IT and Engineering anymore. In fact, the rest of the organization is going to have to contend with:

• Increased workloads for Subject Matter Experts. If you know the organizational area, you must know how to manage the project to do something in this organizational area.
• Gone are the days of black box projects – clients are demanding more visibility into what is being delivered, how it’s being delivered, and how delivery is progressing.
• Organizations are demanding value from their staff’s time - projects are going to have to deliver more than a “thing.”
• Successfully implementing changes in an organization can no longer be ad-hoc, and to a lesser extent grassroots. Rather, efforts must be controlled activities.

This is both amazing, and troubling at the same time. It’s amazing because having proper control, visibility, and communication for organizations can return recognizable and material value. It’s troubling though, as many organizations may start expecting their people to be expert project managers without any proper training or experience (this link is a great discussion on LinkedIn, by the way).

If your organization is transitioning to more of a project focus, and you don’t have the time or desire to become a fully trained PMP, there are a number of ways to get up to speed on how to be effective:

• Hire a dedicated (or shared) Project Manager – This person should be able to apply project management best practices while you are focused on the subject matter at hand. If your department doesn't have the budget or enough work for a full time Project Manager, share the PM (both cost and time) with a different department.
• Mentoring – Junior PMs will often work with Senior PMs for mentoring, so why not do the same? Your company should have a PM for you to reach out to, or you can contact someone in your local PMI chapter.
• Training – Most colleges offer introductory PM training. In exchange for some of your time over a couple of weeks, you can get trained up on how to run a small project effectively.
• Reading – There are many great books available. One that I recommend is Project Management Lite: Just Enough to get the Job Done…Nothing more. Another, more detailed, is the big bible - Rita Mulcahy’s guide to passing the PMP on your first try. You don’t have to attempt the PMP, you just need to read this book.

Has your organization made the transition to more project-based initiatives?  How has it impacted you?  What have you learned?

Big Data: A Mysterious Giant IT Buzzword

Post written by Niaz T., Senior Solution Architect/SAP BW Consultant at Ideaca. Read more about SAP HANA on her blog: Discover In-memory Technology.

In the world of technology there are a hundred definitions for “Big Data.” It seems confusing to come up with a single definition when there is a lack of standard definition. Like many other terms in technology, Big Data has evolved and matured and so has its definition. Depending on who we ask and what industry/business field they’re in, we will get different definitions. Timo Elliott summarized some of the more popular definitions of Big Data in “7 Definitions of Big Data You Should Know About.”

You may be familiar with three “V’s” or the classic 3V model. However, this original definition does not fully describe the benefits of Big Data. Recently, it has been suggested to add 2 more V’s to the list such as Value and Verification or Veracity which are resulted from “Data Management Practices.” As a BI expert who is been involved in Big Data, my approach is to have a practical definition for my clients by emphasizing the main characteristics of data and purpose of Big Data related to each specific area. I like Gartner’s concise definition. Gartner defined Volume, Velocity and Variety characteristics of information assets as not 3 parts but one part of Big Data definition.

Big data is high-volume, high-velocity and high-variety information asset that demands cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing for enhanced insight and decision making. (Gartner’s definition of big data)

The second part of the definition addresses the challenges we face to take the best of infrastructure and technology capabilities. Usually these types of solutions are expensive and clients expect to have cost effective and appropriate solution to answer their requirement. In my opinion this covers the other V which is related to how we implement Data Management Practices in Big Data Architecture Framework and its Lifecycle Model.

The third part covers the most important part and ultimate goal which is Value. Business value is in the insight to their data and to react to this insight to make better decisions. To have a right vision, it’s important to understand, identify and formulate business problems and objectives knowing practical Big Data solutions are feasible but not easy. So when I define Big Data for my clients, I use Gartner’s definition and explain the journey we need to take together to achieve their goal.

In any Big Data project, I start with BDAF or Big Data Architecture Framework which consists of Data Models, Data Lifecycle, Infrastructure, Analytic tools, Application, Management Operation and Security. One of the key components is having high performance computing storage. Since Big Data technologies are evolving and there more options to be considered, I’m focusing on SAP HANA capabilities which enable us to design practical and more cost effective solutions. HANA could be one part of overall Big Data Architecture Framework but it’s the most essential part. The beauty behind SAP HANA is that it is not just a powerhouse Database but it is a development platform to provide real time platform for both analytics and the transactional systems. It enables us to move beyond traditional data warehousing and spending significant time on data extraction and loading. In addition we’re able to take advantage of hybrid processing to design more advance modeling. Another big advantage of HANA is the capability of integrate it with SAP and non-SAP tools.

So, why am I so excited about it? Looking around I see tons of opportunities and brilliant ideas which could get off the ground with some funding. So far, HANA has been more successful in large enterprises with big budgets and larger IT staff. However I’m also interested to encourage medium size enterprises to see the potential of HANA to provide a solution for their problems. The majority of businesses don’t spend their budget to develop a solution. They are eager to pay to solve a particular problem. Now, our challenge as SAP consultants is to help businesses see this potential and how HANA can address their challenges. The good news is SAP supports by providing test environment and development licenses for promising startups.

Got your attention? Well, just to give you a glimpse, take a look at some of the success stories. In addition there are many many other cases if we look around. For instance, these days many applications capture Geo-location data like trucking company, transportation, etc. it means capturing data every 10 seconds or so from every section, every piece of equipment, every location. This could add up to a Petabyte of data! This is an excellent way to bring insight into data and drive intelligence out of it and have it circulated back to scheduling and movement processes. Another example could be companies needing to mine information from social media regarding to their products and connecting this intelligence back to their back end processes to increase customer engagement and satisfaction.

So, do you have any Big Data Challenge? With some funding, we’re able to provide cost effective and practical solution for your challenge to add value to your business.