PM Magazine - Spring 2018 Issue 9

SPRING 2018 / ISSUE IX

PM

magazine

SPRING 2018 | PM magazine A PUBLICATION BY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY’S GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CONNECTING THE DOTS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:

The People Behind the Project SCHEDULE

QUALITY

COST

SCOPE

Secrets of Developing Human Assets in Today’s GIG-Economy PAGE 5

Planning for Success PAGE 4

Office Nomads: Managing Multiple Workspaces PAGE 7

PM Magazine

PM magazine | SPRING 2018

CONTENTS Message from the Editor Sanjay Bapna

EDITORIAL MESSAGE Welcome to the ninth issue of Morgan’s PM Magazine, a magazine designed by the Masters in Science in Project Management students as part of their capstone course requirement. This issue focuses on the criticality of managing the human resources in projects. The editorial team for this Spring 2018 issue comprised of instructor, Dr. Monica Kay and six students: Nicole Moseley, project manager and content liaison manager, Keith Cunningham, deputy project manager and advertisement Sanjay Bapna liaison, Jenee Tucker and Letitia Matthews, editors in chief, Wilhelmina Austin, scheduler and Osman Iddrisu, administrative coordinator. The team put in several hours during the twelve-week period to produce this quality magazine. All project management principles such as planning, requirements gathering, resource allocations, cost controls, risk assessment were carried out to publish the PM Magazine.

Many authors contributed to make this a success. Articles encompass the four processes in managing the human resources: Plan, Acquire, Develop and Manage. While the new economy has resulted in changes in the way human resources are planned, acquired, developed and managed, with more and more temporary workers working on projects with shorter-term engagements, the principles of managing human resources remain the same.

We hope that you will enjoy reading through the articles, interviews and come to appreciate the importance of human resources in the project management discipline in this new economy.

Sanjay Bapna, MBA, PhD Professor and Chair of Information Science and Systems Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management

Message from Contributing Authors

Nicole Moseley, Keith Cunningham, Jenee Tucker, Letitia Matthews, Wilhelmina Austin, Osman Iddrisu

PLAN

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The Peanut Butter & Jelly Process: How A Simple Metaphor Helped Decompose Complex Processes Steve Edwards

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It All Begins With the Plan Documenting and Planning Your Resources for Project Work Monica N. Kay, D.B.A., PMP

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How to Effectively Manage Small Teams Stephanie Stevens, CSM, ICP, PMI-ACP

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Planning for Success Ricky T. Moyd, Jr.

ACQUIRE

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Secrets of Developing Human Assets in Today’s Gig-Economy Sean G. Conner, PMP The People Behind the Project Leslie James Sklenar, M.M, PMP

DEVELOP

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MESSAGE FROM CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

We are in a day and time where organizations are focused on the success of the end product, and the people behind the scenes are often forgotten. This ninth issue of the PM magazine will give the reader

a glimpse of the human resource management journey. We will address what it takes to build the team that produces the project deliverable.

The articles herein will focus on the spectrum of human resource topics involved in the planning, acquisition, development and management of the project team. Our mission for developing and producing this issue of the Spring 2018 PM magazine will show how human resource management plays a strategic role in fostering the workplace culture, unity, and diversity along with meeting project critical objectives. Human resource management is more than just cultivating workplace environment, it is essential for the growth and success of any organization.

Office Nomads: Managing Multiple Workspaces Mary Holland, PMP, CSM

MANAGE

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Six Easy Ways to Resolve Conflict Within a Project Team Danita Cauthen

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Virtual Teams Managing People Even More Effectively in Multiple Locations Chris DeVany

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Essential Steps for Coaching Teams to Success Kashay Hampton

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How to Harness the Positive Power of Intercultural Collaboration Karen Smits, PhD

SPRING 2018 | PM magazine

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THE PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY PROCESS: How A Simple Metaphor Helped Decompose Complex Processes They are a staple in lunch boxes, college dorms, and entry level brown bags. We may have our favorite way to make them or we may not even like them. However, a peanut butter and Steve Edwards jelly (pb&j) sandwich is an Founder, American classic and there Edwards Performance is a lot we can learn from Solutions this simple sandwich including the importance of instructions, sequencing and processes, and how it relates to the human resource (HR) management process.

When my oldest daughter was in 5th grade, her assignment was to document the steps involved in making a pb&j sandwich. I remember thinking to myself, “It is great that 5th graders are learning process decomposition, system planning, and activity sequencing.” All of which are needed as part of a project management process. As the owner of a business performance solutions firm specializing in project management, I was eager to see the outcomes of this assignment. The students had access to the ingredients and a seemingly simple task, however instructions regarding how to create the deliverable pb&j were not given.

Most would agree that you do not really think about how to make a pb&j sandwich, you just sort of do it! When you think about it, the process of human resource management is much like making a pb&j sandwich. Often times, there is not a lot of thought given to this knowledge area because there is such a huge emphasis on other aspects of the project. Experience has taught me the importance of intentionality regarding understanding the sequencing and processes in HR management.

As I observed my daughter making the sandwich methodically, I could not help but think about how the sandwich related to processes in project management. Let us walk through this metaphor with a HR management lens. When my daughter made her sandwich, she carefully looked through the bag of bread and chose the bottom slice which would ultimately serve as the foundation. This is similar to the first of the four processes of HR Management, plan human resource management. According to PMI, this foundational process is essential for establishing roles and responsibilities and the creation of a staffing management plan which contains key information regarding staff acquisition, resource calendars, training needs, staffing release plans, compliance, safety and rewards and recognition (PMI, 2013).

Next, my daughter spread the jelly on top of the bread. I likened this to the second process of HR management, acquiring the project team. PMI stated that this process outlines and guides the team selection and responsibility assignment to obtain a successful team (PMI, 2013). Now that there is a strong foundation, a project manager can begin adding special ingredients, in this case the team

who will complete the project tasks and activities.

Complementing the jelly, I observed my daughter spread the peanut butter on the bread which can be likened to the third process of HR management, developing the project team. PMI reminds us that this process is related to improving skills, team member interaction and the overall work environment to enhance the project performance (PMI, 2013). Its companion, peanut butter is dense with a thick texture and holds the sandwich together. This is a great metaphor for what happens when you build a strong team. A project’s chances for success will be much higher with the team that shares a strong bond and shared objectives. A good project manager will incorporate techniques like team-building activities, applying “soft skills” when applicable, training, setting ground rules, and recognizing and rewarding desirable behavior to help solidify team effort.

“The develop team process builds a strong team,

“Pb&j is one example of a simplistic example to better explain complex processes, specifically human resource management.” improves teamwork, enhances competencies, motivates employees and improves overall project performance” (PMI, 2013, p. 274).

The final step to completing her pb&j sandwich was the application of the top piece of bread which I liken to the final step of HR management - managing the project team. According to Project Management Institute, PMI (2013), “The manage team process is tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing team changes to optimize project performance” (p. 279). PMI shared that this final process would not be possible without the other processes in place. In addition, this process is also foundational because it influences team behavior, supports the management and resolution of conflicts and appraises team member performance (PMI, 2013). This process also fosters teamwork and integrates the efforts of the team.

Back to the story of my daughter’s class assignment. The next day, to the students’ surprise, the teacher brought in all the ingredients: a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, and a knife. She asked the students to read the instructions aloud as she assembled each sandwich – based on what they perceived were precise instructions. It did not take long before the point of the demonstration became amusingly clear.

Some of the “sandwiches” involved a full loaf of bread with a full jar of peanut butter and a full jar of jelly stacked on top because the instructions never said to “remove” the bread from the wrapper or “open” the jars. Others had one piece of bread loaded with just peanut butter. Others had two pieces of bread but were missing jelly. Because the instructions were laid out sequentially, students were left to their own perceptions to produce the deliverable. While this “innovation” is encouraged in some areas, the Project Management Institute (PMI) has laid out specific instructions regarding various knowledge areas of project management.

In the case of HR management, having a strong HR management plan, including the four processes will eliminate misinterpretations, perceptions and guide how the team should be organized, managed and led (PMI, 2013). The plan is a road map where every process is important. The project manager should be clear on the exact steps and processes to take to create produce a successful deliverable.

Like making a pb&j sandwich, project managers do not always think about the ingredients and processes involved in creating something desired.

However, the ingredients and processes utilized in human resource management should be given attention and special consideration because each is necessary to build a productive project team and ultimately success. Many organizations do not take the time to think about the various components and processes that are involved in making a successful team and this is a pitfall for sure.

Let me guess, you are asking yourself, “How can I utilize this pb&j metaphor in my current project management work?” Well, simple metaphors help people remember important yet complex processes and information. When working with diverse groups and various fields, I have learned how important it is to choose examples that are relatable to most and interesting. Even if it is a bit whacky, the participants will be drawn in and ultimately be interested in where you are going. In addition, they will remember what you said. When using simple, relatable concepts, the complexity of the example will not overshadow the message - especially when it relates to project management knowledge areas (which include components of: process decomposition, system planning and sequencing).

Pb&j is one example of a simplistic example to better explain complex processes, specifically human resource management – It works! Let’s face it – everyone knows how to make a pb&j sandwich! Now, you will never make one without thinking about how the overall execution is simple and relatable to project management processes.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

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PM magazine | SPRING 2018

IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE PLAN – Documenting and Planning Your Resources for Project Work You have been given a highprofile project, your budget has been established and you have an executive sponsor. Now it is time to staff it. How do you begin?

Where do you draw from?

Monica N. Kay, D.B.A., How will you decide to PMP Professor, run it - functionally or in Morgan State University a matrix style? Luckily for you, your organization has organizational process assets that you can put to use. Namely, a human resource management plan. The human resource management plan (sometimes called a staffing plan) will guide the project manager from inception through closure of the project and will include the following key items: the roles and responsibilities that will be needed on your project, the required skills needed and the reporting relationship – especially if you are a functional organization seeking to use a matrix approach – that will culminate in a staffing plan for your project (PMI, 2013).

No organization has unlimited resources available for every project for an infinite amount of time.

There are tradeoffs with project selection, project budgets and of course project human resources. So where to begin?

GETTING STARTED – THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN Experience has shown the first place to start is with the project management plan. Hopefully it has been developed and has the project objectives and the work to be managed, and includes how communication will be performed on the project.

The activity resource requirements come next. A work breakdown structure (WBS) should be defined that will identify the kind of resources, length of work period needed as well as the associated costs (control packages) that will support the effort.

Additionally, a resource breakdown structure (RBS) can also be used to determine the resource’s

usage. Specifically, a project manager can account for the activity list, resource estimation and the resource calendar. These are all important inputs to determine who is available and when they are available for both the short and long term.

The competition comes in when resources are scarce and you have to negotiate for high profile and highly skilled resources. Depending on how your organization is structured, you may need to negotiate for a resource for a portion of time if a functional manager will not let you have a resource for 100% of the time, for the duration of the project.

skill sets are needed and the duration. It can also give a sense of the lag/lead times and how they mesh with vacation schedules. With my experience on projects, resources have shown to be highly volatile during the summer months and weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In addition, resources are practically non-existent the week after Christmas, when in some cases work completion was most critical.

“The HRM along with other project management tools, helps the project manager acquire, staff, plan and manage with a clear roadmap to complete project management activities.”

Nothing replaces expert judgment of reliable sources and having trusted advisors that can assist the project manager in staffing the team is important. Not only does that person have the personal experience of working on the projects, but also the institutional knowledge to get to the right resources and contacts to obtain them.

Experts usually know where the “star performers” reside as well as those that are “rising stars” or even staff that should not be a part of the project and may hinder the project objectives. My best resources are those laymen who have time and time again shown their due diligence in pointing out the right resource at the right time for the right cost.

Additional considerations regarding staffing include co-location or virtual staffing as well as any employee policies that may preclude you from identifying certain staff either due to their skill set or possibly union or contractual agreements. Some examples from my experience include providing opportunities for all levels of staff to sign onto projects for staff development, as well as hiring certain labor categories via outsourcing if that skill set is missing.

NEXT - LESSONS LEARNED AND EXPERT JUDGMENT FROM PREVIOUS PROJECTS The biggest and most helpful resource is the lessons learned from previous projects that were completed (or not) that are similar in nature. This includes reviewing the staffing documents that have been adjusted and updated by the project manager and team to reflect the beginning state of the project as well as the final end state. This can provide a wealth of information as to what

Alternatively, the lessons learned can also be a fountain of information on how to structure performance reviews (the good, the bad and the ugly).

THE FINAL PACKAGE – YOUR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN You have your inputs from your organizational assets, project management plan, resource breakdown structure and expert judgment. Now is the time to put it together into a formal (or informal) document for use. Your consolidated human resource management (HRM) plan includes the roles, responsibilities, competencies and staff acquisition via in-house or outsourcing to contractors. It also includes the training required (if needed) and staff ramp down, which is just as important as the ramp up. Finally, it includes the recognition/reward system for staff that identifies how often they will be reviewed for performance and incentives given (PMI, 2013).

Since the HRM is a living document, as a project manager, my experience has shown that a PM should plan reviews of all documentation reviews to examine it during the life of the project to ensure that it still adheres to the scope and project objectives. Typically, over time, circumstances will change and as the project runs its course, you will identify other resource needs and limitations. The HRM plan along with other project management tools, helps the project manager, acquire, staff, plan and manage with a clear roadmap to complete project management activities.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

SPRING 2018 | PM magazine

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HOW TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE SMALL TEAMS

Stephanie Stevens, CSM, ICP, PMI-ACP Director of Project Management at Mindgrub

As a project manager, it may be your dream to manage a large team. However, the true art to great project management is in effectively managing a small team. As project management guru Cornelius Fitchner says, “The ‘P’ in PM is as much about ‘People’ management as it is about ‘Project’ management.”

Every team and every project has the same needs (for the most part), including a kickoff meeting, project plan documentation, staffing requests, project schedule, discovery, deliverables, Key Performance Indicator (KPI) tracking, client meetings, internal meetings, status reports, retrospectives, and so on. That being said, it is essential to take a good, hard look at your procedures for managing a small team to ensure you are not overextending your approach or your process.

How successful you are as a project manager starts with a fundamental, foundational phase: planning.

This is where you establish important expectations with teams and clients. This is your time, so use it wisely, as it will inform the rest of the project’s successes and challenges. Not only should you gather a client’s criteria for success, but as a project manager, you will also need to think critically about the team’s essential needs. Chances are, with a smaller team, your project budget is also smaller.

Therefore, it is always a good rule of thumb to be as lean as possible. To facilitate this, ask yourself these questions: “ Do I truly need two representatives from each department on this project, or can I increase efficiency by requesting only one engineer, designer and QA tester?” “ Do I need to have daily check-ins with the team members, or can we meet every other day, once a week for 30 minutes, or virtually, using tools such as Slack?”

Asking yourself and the team these questions in the planning phase will determine the very best approach to set your team up for success.

As the project begins, be willing to adapt to the team’s needs, as things will quickly begin to change. A great motto to follow is, “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.” Your team is your most valuable asset and they are the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). A subject matter expert, or SME (OPM, 2018), is a “person with bona fide expert knowledge about what it takes to do a particular job. First-level supervisors are normally good SMEs”.

Superior incumbents in the same or very similar positions and other individuals can also be used as SMEs if they have current and thorough knowledge of the job’s requirements. SMEs are good inputs to tap into when project managers are creating a human resource management plan. The human resource plan helps guide the process when it

“As project management guru Cornelius Fitchner says, “The ‘P’ in PM is as much about ‘People’ management as it is about ‘Project’ management.” is time to identify, staff, manage and release the human resources necessary to complete project work. Trust them to make the best decisions for the project. Be their supporter and cheerleader by consistently making time for them to express how they could improve as a team. Always ask them questions, specifically about why they made that certain decision in the design concept, or why they are recommending a specific approach to a development issue. This will naturally guide you to become the best project manager you can be, and in return, you will earn your team’s trust. More of these opportunities will present themselves when working with smaller teams, so take advantage of this intimate setting and ask those questions.

When managing smaller teams, you may find that you will lean less on tools because you will have more opportunities to meet face-to-face with your team members and on an ad-hoc basis.

This is not a bad thing! One meeting format I recommend implementing is a team huddle. With team consensus, set the expectation that should the need arise, everyone will keep fifteen to thirty minutes open every day to collaborate. It is a mutual understanding by all team members not to double book themselves at that specific time and to allow for brainstorming and collaboration each day. An added bonus is that every team member has a chance to have their thoughts heard and the team members are consistently on the same page.

Even though you may find yourself relying less on tools, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use any tools to assist with your day-to-day management.

It is critical to have a project schedule visible by all team members at all times. Additionally, a project plan approach is advised. Should the project plan need to change for any reason, it won’t be a problem - as project managers, we are always willing to adapt!

A task management system like Jira or Airtable is also recommended to keep track of the daily or weekly progress of promised commitments and deliverables. Finally, daily communication tools such as Slack, Basecamp, or Instant Messenger

allow you to stay in close touch with your team members and are a great way to facilitate communication and guidance within your teams.

Your tools should always be consistent to increase efficiency within your smaller teams. This reduces spin-up time when a new team member joins a project because they will not need to learn any new systems.

As your project nears completion, set time aside for a project retrospective meeting. Inform your team that this is coming so that they can prepare their thoughts. Gather your team together in a dedicated, formal meeting to discuss what went well, what did not go well, and to discuss improvements. Oh, the lessons you will learn!

Your team members will always keep those lessons learned in their minds, and you can be proud that you have empowered them to carry it with them to their next project. Be sure to share common trends with your colleagues as well, so that they can also keep those lessons learned in the front of their minds as they begin to plan their next project.

So, go on and be the best version of you, the best supporter for your team, and the king or queen of right-sizing a process for your smaller teams. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to work with a smaller team, but if you are always willing to adapt to the needs of your team members, you can trust that you will be guiding them to smoother waters. Always have your efficiency thinking cap on. When you are driving to work every day, or when you are sweating through a spin class, spend a minute or two thinking about ways to increase efficiency to make your team as successful as they can possibly be, and when in doubt, ask your team! Soliciting feedback and regular collaboration with team members keeps the team motivated and is integral in developing the project team.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management (2018). What is a subject matter expert? Retrieved from http://www.opm.gov

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PM magazine | SPRING 2018

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS There are many types of projects and varying skill levels of the personnel for every team.

No matter the project or the industry in which the project is related to, there are things that affect the day to day functioning. Organizations Ricky T. Moyd, Jr. are managed and operated Research Analyst, Baltimore City by people. In any environHealth Department ment, we must understand that while we all should have a common focus or goal, no two people are exactly alike. Everyone is an individual and effective management must keep this fact as a main focal point.

When managers develop an environment that maximizes each employee’s unique potential, the organization will have its best opportunity to perform at optimal effectiveness.

formance” (PMI, 2013, p.273). Organizations should develop an environment and organizational culture that minimize high rates of employee turnover. When companies or project teams develop relationships with all levels of personnel that focus on retaining quality employees, the quality and production of work can improve as well. Environment is a key factor in retaining quality staff. I have been in environments in which poor management skills have driven great workers out of the organization. Another aspect of the environment is the work space. Employees want to feel they are in a safe and healthy space. Too often, managers do not take the time to make the space of the workers feel welcoming. Many decisions are made that affect the staff, but the staff is never approached for input. Managers must start focusing on more than paychecks to retain quality staff. Remember, burnout is real. Before we are specific titles in the organization, we are people first.

When thinking about resources, things that generally come to mind are materials, capital, and people. It is often said that humans/people are the most vital of all resources. This means that human resources are more than a department within an organization.

In order to manage people effectively we need to address staffing, retention, development (professionally), adjustment, and managing change. All of these activities can, and will, have a direct impact at an individual and agency level.

Then there is the development of the staff. Staff d e ve l o p m e n t should be a benefit to both, the employee and the team or company. There is an important connection in

PMI (2013) stated “acquiring the project team or staffing looks at the work requirements within the organization and then the process of confirming human resource availability and obtaining the team necessary to complete project activities” (p. 255). This starts with the recruitment process and ends with staff assignments. Once the team is acquired, the next step is to develop the project team. According to PMI, this process focuses on improving skills/competencies, the way the team interacts with each other and the overall team environment. All of these elements are essential to enhance project performance (PMI, 2013). To accomplish this, it is important for managers to focus on staffing needs. Many times, projects are not as successful, if they are successful at all, due to lack of planning for the staffing needs. One of the basic items to consider for staffing is the number of people you need for any project or task. When you do not adequately plan for the number of people needed to effectively work on a project you can have a negative effect on the project’s outcome. One result of projects that are improperly staffed is having an inadequate budget. This can mean driving up cost because you have more staff on a project than you need or not enough staff to complete the project on time. Beyond the facts of the budget being tied to staffing, project managers should also consider the qualifications of each staff for a specific project.

The qualifications of the staff can determine which staff is the best fit for each project. It will also help management determine who should be considered for promotions.

A direct correlation to staffing is retention which is a key part of developing a project team. According to PMI, “The key benefit of this process is that it results in improved teamwork, enhanced people skills and competencies, motivated employees, reduced staff turnover rates and improved overall project per-

“Project Managers need to be aware of the priorities of project participants and set realistic milestones and goals.” the way staff/personnel are managed and the economic growth of the organization. Companies must be willing to invest in the development of their staff to assure that there are highly qualified people doing the work. Investing in the staff is more than training and pay or compensation.

Organizations have to start looking at the nontraditional ways to invest in promoting staff development. Some organizations have begun to implement pay for performance as well as employee incentive programs. PMI (2013) reminds us that “Part of the team development process involves recognizing and rewarding desirable behavior. It is important to recognize that a particular reward given to any individual will be effective only if it satisfies a need which is valued by that individual. People are motivated if they feel valued in the organization and this value is demonstrated by the rewards given to them” (p. 255).

These incentives may include gift cards to a nice restaurant, gift certificates to a local retailer such as a spa, reimbursement for health and wellness-based activities, such as gym membership fees, and tickets to a pro-sport game (baseball, basketball, football, etc.) or anything that could show the employees that they are valued beyond their paycheck. The quality of work life can be viewed from an organizational point of objectives related to the policies and procedures, as well as, from the employee’s perception of

safety and satisfaction. In thinking about the quality of work life it can be as simple as providing opportunities for employees to have a say in the workplace environment or even in the design of their jobs.

Making adjustments and managing change are other aspects of human resource management.

These topics should consider business strategy and strategic workforce planning. This means companies/organizations should be planning for people or staff. Turnover in staff, whether it is an executive level position or office clerk, can be troubling for any organization that is not properly preparing or planning for changes. In my current position, the negative effects of high and large-scale turnover on a department has been seen. How does high turnover rates have a negative impact on business? In the case within my department, one of the programs was struggling to maintain qualified staff. Within six to nine months, one program loss four staff persons.

The program manager and program director spent numerous hours over several weeks going through the hiring process. This included posting job opening, reviewing all applications to screen for qualified candidates, scheduling interviews, completing the interview reports, selecting the top candidate to make an offer, and then on-boarding. While the hiring process is taking place, that particular program was not implementing the services at the level that the grant was structured for since the staff was not at the level needed to implement services adequately.

This resulted in potential clients not being able to get the services they needed in a timely manner as well as the need to request budget modifications and/or extensions from the funders. Another issue that was uncovered from not being prepared for change was potential staff burn out. When trying to get a single person to do the work of many, an organization is running the risk of causing staff to burn out mentally and physically. This causes additional ripple effects from poor employee morale to loss of productivity. There is still another challenge that may plague companies - planning for successions. Succession planning can relate to promotions or retirements.

The way to make human resources based decisions that are most beneficial to the organization is to focus on the strategic plan of the entity along with the skills, experiences, and job descriptions needed for the staff to function at their maximum performance.

Companies are successful when human resources are managed in a way that everyone is in line with the goals.

Even though project types may be different based on the professional services of the organizations, the fundamentals of project management will remain the same. Proper human resources management is a key function of an organization’s success. Human resources can impact both individuals and organizations. Managers must make decisions that have impacts on the budget. Decisions such as who receives trainings, which trainings are based on the needs, the number of staff on a project, and which staff best fits each project. Managing human resources effectively should be focused on the vision and goals of the organization.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

SPRING 2018 | PM magazine

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SECRETS OF DEVELOPING HUMAN ASSETS IN TODAY’S GIG-ECONOMY Talking to a friend of mine at a DC-area staffing firm, I mentioned, “...In today’s gigeconomy, I am one of those people who is always helping others to find their next gig.”

I have been working in a Sean G. Conner, PMP gig-environment for years. I Sean G. Conner LLC will share a secret with you: Project Managers have a unique edge in a gigeconomy.

Chances are you are already benefiting from the gig-economy. If you rode an Uber or Lyft, stayed at an Airbnb, used ParkingPanda or TaskRabbit then you used a gig-worker or resource. Gigeconomy can be defined as an environment in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements. What does the rise of “The Gig-Economy” mean to project and program managers? Does this app-fueled phenomenon impact our existing and future efforts? Does this mean that our project teams are more transient?

It is it more efficient? A greater risk to our eventual success?

The answer to these questions is: Yes. All of the above.

How did that work for you? Was it easy? Did you save time and money? Were you happy with the results?

These are simple, everyday tasks. How do they relate to our profession and to project management? An emerging risk for the project management community is that the gig-economy is creating a cultural shift in our society.

The increasing use of temporary workers and resources in our personal lives, seen with the expansion of Uber and TaskRabbit, is normalizing the same expansion in the business community.

This change is both positive and negative in our environment. The gig-economy is both a positive and negative risk. Like any risk, project and program managers who are aware of (and who plan for) these risks are well-positioned to take advantage of the cost, schedule and staffing benefits. This is project management.

There is increasing acceptance of the use of temporary human resources. Project team members are more likely to use and even participate in this market. Human resources managers are more likely to engage temporary or short-contract personnel.

This societal shift is driving down costs for outsourced services and lowering executive resistance to their use. However, these changes may sacrifice the quality and service we and our customers expect.

What can we do? Three things with the third being our edge: 1. Identify and Manage Risks – Familiarize yourself with where gig-work can facilitate and

impact your efforts. Need a graphic artist? Go to Fiverr. Need a personal assistant, but only a few hours a day? Check out Fiverr and Freelancer.com.

Airbnb can get you killer lodging for your remote team in a massive hurry.

Be aware of the risks: When you abandon established, name-brand suppliers, you increase the chances of something going sideways. Can you accept that risk? At what cost?

2. Monitor and Control – Like any other outsourced activity, it’s essential to consider how you will qualify and quantify the end results. This must be done to ensure that your efforts fall within the triple constraints of your project.

Ask them and envision how they can fit into your overall team. Can your Uber driver, who is so charming and knowledgeable about the city, help coordinate an entertaining event for out-oftowners? Can your Fiverr-based proofreader (like mine) also help you with writing a press release?

Project Management Institute, PMI (2013) reminds us, “Networking, an essential tool used in human resource management is formal and informal interaction with others in an organization, industry or professional environment. Human resource management benefits from successful networking by improving knowledge of and access to human resource assets such as strong competencies, specialized experience and external

“The more that you develop and cultivate those relationships, the more those “Temporary Human Resources” become what you really desire: Human Assets...”

Venmo peer-to-peer payments are a great way to split the tab at a dinner or social event. However, linking Venmo to your primary checking account may create a security risk. So, one can mitigate that risk by using a secondary account. Plan to check those transactions and watch for unusual activity.

Keep track and audit them, just like any other project expense.

3. Develop Your Own “Team” – Human resource planning is used to determine and identify the human resources that will be needed for the project. In order to achieve project success, the necessary skills must be acquired. According to PMI, in order for human resource planning to be effective, a project manager should consider and plan for the availability of resources, many whom may be scarce (PMI, 2013). Here is the secret: each temporary human resource which you use or is provided to you is a project team member. Team members can be from inside or outside the organization. This occurs today and perhaps tomorrow. Whether you meet them at work, at a networking event, via an app, or as a resource provided by your own human resources department, they are all equally valuable. You owe it to yourself to cultivate direct relationships with valued and proven service providers.

partnership opportunities. Networking can be a useful technique and an effective way to enhance project management professional development during the project and well after it ends” (p. 263).

Good project managers already do this within their organizations. Open your thinking about your project team to include these other resources.

Invest time and energy into them, just as you would in other valued members of your internal team. The more that you develop and cultivate those relationships, the more those “Temporary Human Resources” become what you really desire: Human Assets.

Peter Herriot (Herriot Press, 2001) writes, “But we do not only use resources; we use them up, as though they were simply commodities. “He continues , “We are in business, so we would be stupid not to value our assets and therefore conserve and enhance them.” (p.59) The reason that I am, “…always helping others to find their next gig,” is that I have my own team.

Today, I have an extensive personal network of professionals, built into almost every skill set and related service necessary for my business practice.

I can engage most of these resources with a phone call, text, or email. I can tell you which I can use for an hour, for a day, or for a years-long contract.

I know their rates, strengths, weaknesses, and who to call if that resource is unavailable. I am far from unique in this respect. Every entrepreneur does this. They have for centuries. We have always lived and worked in a gig-economy. Technology has simply sped up and simplified the process of finding the human assets, which we need. How you will use and develop your human assets, or fail to do so, is up to you.

Herriot, P. (2001). A Physiological Perspective. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

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PM magazine | SPRING 2018

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECT When planning your project, there are many variables to consider beyond the common scope, schedule and cost.

In what physical space will the project be conducted?

What quality metrics will it Leslie James Sklenar, have to meet? Who are the M.M., PMP stakeholders, and what are Professor, their stakes? What are the Morgan State risks to successful project University completion? Who’s going to do the work? In 2013, Project Management Institute (PMI) shared “Acquiring a project team is the process of confirming human resource availability and obtaining the team necessary to complete project activities” (p. 267). When it is time to factor people costs into the project’s budget, there are three scenarios that a project manager might face.

First Scenario - The New Project Team. In the best-case scenario, a project manager is assigned early in the process, before the work breakdown structure and budget is created, before contracts are negotiated and before the team is staffed, so that he/she can participate in all of these necessary human resource actions. This is a “best case,” because here the project manager will have the opportunity to build the team for the tasks to be accomplished. The experienced project manager will already know people in the organization who can fill many required roles and can negotiate with the managers for the people needed in this project. Negotiation is an essential tool that project managers use in acquiring teams.

PMI (2013) shared: Staff assignments are negotiated on many projects.

For example, the project management team may need to negotiate with: functional managers, to ensure that the project received appropriately competent staff in the required time frame and that the project team members will be able, willing and authorized to work on the project until their responsibilities are completed; other project management teams within the performing organization, to appropriately assign scarce or specialized human resources; and external organizations, vendors, supplies, contractors etc., for appropriate, scarce, specialized, qualified, certified, or other such specific human resources.

Special considerations should be given to external negotiation policies, practices, processes, guidelines, legal and other such criteria. (p.270) Another reason to call this the “best” scenario is that salaries and hourly rates are known quantities, which will facilitate budget creation and approval. Any gaps in filling the human resource requirements from within will need to go through the organization’s hiring process, which may negatively impact preparation of the project schedule. For projects like this, it is important that the project charter, specifically address the staffing issue so that managers outside the project understand the significance of the project and its staffing to organizational goals and objectives.

PMI reminds us that the project charter, issued

by the sponsor formally authorizes the existence of a project. It provides the project manager with permission to apply resources to the project (PMI, 2013).

of it will be well known. The gaps will be caused by those skills or expertise not available among the assembled team. In order to fill those gaps, the project manager can negotiate with other organization managers to get other employees re-assigned [temporarily?] to the project, hire new employees, or the project manager can send current team members to training to acquire the needed skills.

For the first of these, the only questions may be, “does my current team have some skills that can be “loaned” to another manager in return for a person?” In addition, can that loan fit the schedule?” Another manager may “owe” your team for a previous loan, or many be negotiating for a need to be filled in the future.

“It is important for project managers to remember that there are multiple ways to acquire team members to complete project activities and often times it will require thinking outside of the box.”

Second Scenario - The Existing Project Team.

For organizations with many relatively short-term (two years or less) projects, the new project may be assigned to an existing team that does successive projects. Again, the personnel costs will be known, because the project team exists, and the only new costs would be to acquire skills outside the existing team’s staffing or contractors. It is important to determine these requirements early for budgeting and scheduling purposes. The impact of the new project on any work that the team is already carrying out needs to be determined.

Third Scenario - The Fully Staffed Project. In the worst-case scenario, a project manager is assigned late to the project and has a team that he/she had nothing to do with building. The team may have been assembled by the boss, departed predecessor, the organization’s project management office, or by the human resources (HR) department. Contracts may have been issued for additional staffing required. Whichever it is, the team builder may have had little or no conception of what the work of the project would be, or what specific skills and expertise will be required. In addition, the new project manager must add to the basic tasks of learning the scope of work, schedule, and budget, the additional tasks of learning the team members’ skills and expertise, who works well with whom, the prevailing team attitude, and potential problems; in other words, an experienced leader is required.

In all of these instances, the gathering of budget data for staffing will be relatively easy, since most

The second solution, hiring new employees, will involve your HR department’s standard hiring process. Getting new-hire approval, advertising, interviewing, and actually hiring may become part of the project’s critical path. “A critical path is the sequence of activities that represent the longest path through a project, which determine the shortest possible duration” (PMI, 2013. p. 536).

If there is time in the project schedule and the money is in the budget, this may be the choice, especially if the skills can be leveraged to other projects who may need the skills in the future.

The third solution, having an existing team member trained to acquire necessary skills to complete the task, may be the best choice for the organization. For various reasons, the company may not want to add to head count at the current time. On the other hand, rewarding a trustworthy employee with training in a new skill set may instill loyalty while building corporate capability. Project Management Institute, PMI reminds us that many team members are motivated by the opportunity to learn new things, grow, and apply their acquired skills to the project (PMI, 2013).

If none of the above solutions pertain, procurement of one or more contractors can fill the gap(s), with the cost depending on the negotiating skills of the project manager or the HR department negotiator.

It is important for project managers to remember that there are multiple ways to acquire team members to complete project activities and often times it will require thinking outside of the box. Understanding the budget and resources that already exist within the team/organization is essential. Project managers should make the decision that will ultimately benefit the team, and organization while not impacting the project. To build muscle in this area, it is important for project managers to study how others in the organization negotiate.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

SPRING 2018 | PM magazine

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OFFICE NOMADS: Managing Multiple Workspaces Consultants are known for their connection with clients forged by availability and engagement at the client’s worksite. This often means employees are splitting Mary Holland, PMP, CSM their time between three or Program Manager, more locations – a corporate Edwards Performance office, the client site, and Solutions their home. How do you stay focused, organized, and accessible when working at multiple locations? Like anything, there are benefits and challenges to being an office nomad.

When organizations are assembling teams for project work, it is essential to have team members that are able to function throughout various location changes.

Flexibility and communication are key. Technology enables efficient work no matter where you are – assuming your internet works! It is easy to keep coworkers, managers, clients, and anyone else who “needs to know,” informed where you are. This can occur via Outlook, SharePoint , Google calendars, access files on network drives, SharePoint or the Cloud. When working on a project, it is not only essential to have access to every team member but it is also important to be able to access information and project work to keep everyone on the same page. Here are some tricks that may work for you as you bounce from location to location: PRIVACY & FOCUS. Chances are one or more locations have limited privacy and/or quiet areas. If those elements are necessary or important to you, you may need to improvise. Meeting room reservations, headphones, and car calls may be your friend.

TOOLS. Moving locations presents a physical challenge; you haul belongings back and forth and try to remember which printer to select. A rolling laptop case or a trunk may help organize hard copy files and supplies. Checklists for each office location may help with managing the who, how, and what of office resources.

VIRTUAL COLLABORATION. Although collaboration can be supported by technology, often coworkers think they need to wait for “office time” to engage. Skype for Business can facilitate more collaboration. Business should soon facilitate more collaboration). Project Management Institute, PMI (2013) stated, “the availability of communication technology such as email, audio conferencing, social media, webbased meetings and video conferencing has made virtual teams (and collaboration) feasible” (p. 271).

Explore ways to use technology for communication

“Flexibility and communication are key.” with colleagues in different locations. Virtual teams have their advantages. According to PMI, the virtual model enables team members with expertise in various geographical areas to take part in a project.

This includes but is not limited to people who work from home, multiple offices, people who work various shifts/days etc. (PMI, 2013).

SHARED SPACE ISSUES. If you are camping out at a conference table, hoteling, or working from someone else’s cubicle, remember to clean up the desk and keyboard before and after each use with wipes. No one likes to work over your leftover chip crumbs!

UNWRITTEN RULES. “Enterprise environmental factors (EEF) refer to conditions, not under the control of the project team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project. EEFs are considered inputs to most planning processes, may enhance or constrain project management options, and may have a positive or negative influence on the outcome.

EEFs include but are not limited to: organizational culture, structure and governance” (PMI, 2013, p.

29). Learn the office culture for work hours, dress code, as well as reserving/using space, equipment, and the kitchen. Be conscientious when having conversations, using mobile phones (utilize the sound settings), and reheating foods with distinct scents. An organization’s structure and culture ultimately influence how its projects are performed and conducted. Organizational cultures and styles are known as cultural norms which develop over time (PMI, 2013).

SENSE OF BELONGING/TEAM. Sometimes it may feel out of sight, out of mind or slightly impersonal moving place to place. Stay in touch by attending team meetings and town hall type gatherings in person.

The modern workforce should feel lucky to maintain flexibility and work in multiple locations; even with its challenges, many find it energizing!

If you are an office nomad or considering becoming one, it is important to remember that working at multiple locations does not have to be a negative experience or impact the project.

Use these tips and techniques to keep a positive attitude, stay focused, productive and organized.

Take advantage of the vast array of technology that makes working efficiently and communicating a lot easier. In addition, keep in mind that organizations value project managers who are adaptable and flexible. From a growth perspective, being an office nomad may increase your opportunities and marketability. From a HR perspective, companies will find you appealing because you have the ability to produce regardless of your physical location. In fact, you may even find it energizing and fulfilling to meet new people, learn new things and share your knowledge and talent with people in various locations.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

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PM magazine | SPRING 2018

SIX EASY WAYS TO RESOLVE CONFLICT WITHIN A PROJECT TEAM Conflict on a project is ultimately going to occur!

According to PMI, sources of conflict may include many things including but not limited to: scarcity of resources, factors related to the triple constraint (time, scope and cost) and personal workstyles (PMI, 2013). Whether you are a seasoned veteran or brand new to project management, these six tools can help you resolve conflict quickly and get you project back on track.

receiving empathy and getting the assistance, we need to resolve the issue. Also, involving the contributor to the conflict in coming up with solutions is a subtle reminder that you are both on the same team, working toward the same goal.

STOP, LISTEN, AND LOOK Conflict is common especially during the “storming stage” of team development when teams are getting to know each other, addressing the project work and making hard decisions (PMI, 2013). At the first sign of conflict, stop talking and listen. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This is habit number five in Dr. Stephen Covey’s, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and it is imperative if you want to get to the root of the issue. Nothing is as it appears on the surface, so dig deep by asking clarifying questions while you listen and look for clues that will lead you to the real issue. Studies by Albert Mehrabian, author of Silent Messages show that words only convey about 7% of what someone is trying to say. The other 93% is communicated through facial expressions and the tone of their voice (Blake, 2011).

FOCUS ON THE DELIVERABLES A team that gets along can make it easier to get along. However, it is not necessary to produce the defined deliverables. Once you understand the issue and acknowledge the feelings and positions of the people involved in the conflict, switch the focus back to the work. Remind everyone of the commitment they made to the project and the responsibility to deliver on what they committed to. You cannot remind someone of something you never stated, so make sure you communicate it at the beginning of the project.

Danita Cauthen Senior Business Analyst, TEKsystems

TABLE IT Rome was not built in a day and often, your resolution will not be solved in one day either.

If the discussion is getting heated and there is no peace in sight, table the discussion for another time. Our fight, flight, or freeze response is our instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation, which causes us to either forcibly resist, run away, or do nothing. After a real or perceived threat is removed, it takes between 20 to 60 minutes for the body to return to normal. A project manager should know and understand when it is time to table a conflict and resume when a cooler head prevails. Tabling a conflict will also allow the project manager to prepare some resolution options to present when the parties reconvene. Time will also allow for the perceived threat of the conflict to diminish and help everyone move from a fight, flight, or freeze state of mind to one conducive to creative solutions and objective thinking.

SEPARATE THEM As a young girl in school, I recall having a personal, yet disruptive conversation with a classmate in school. The teacher separated us, so that she could move forward with her lesson plan. Do not be afraid to separate feuding parties and address them individually. It instantly removes the conflict, albeit temporarily. The one-on-one attention will make each party feel valued and heard and help to establish you as an ally. People

“Rome was not built in a day and often, your resolution will not be solved in one day either.”

are usually less defensive and more vulnerable outside of a group. They will be more willing to share their feelings and your suggestions for resolutions will be more palatable.

CHANGE THE VENUE You do not have to wait until the next official project meeting to discuss the issue causing the conflict. A brief phone chat, a kitchen or bathroom conversation, an office drop-by are all great ways to get more insight into the issue at hand and show that you are invested in solving the problem.

“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” Francis Bacon (Clements 2013, n.p.)

ASK FOR HELP Explain the position you are in as the project manager and the impact the conflict has on your immediate goals and objectives. Then, ask for suggestions on how you might solve the issue. This is a technique often used by project managers known as collaborating or problem solving. Allowing other project team members to express their viewpoint or offer suggestions gives the project manager multi perspectives in solving the problem. According to PMI (2013), this tool requires effort on both the project manager to allow open dialogue and the team members to have a cooperative attitude (PMI, 2013). Often times, project managers do not ask for help because we are afraid of revealing our struggle and having people realize we do not have it all together. Our vulnerability can be the key to

Conflict does not have to be negative. PMI states, when handled appropriately, conflict can actually result in stronger relationships and increased productivity (PMI, 2013). Understanding various tools and techniques is great, however the true secret of handling conflict is having strong interpersonal skills. A project manager must wear many different hats to see the project to the end. The combination of technical, personal and conceptual skills plays a huge role in herding the project team members to the finish line (PMI, 2013). A leader who communicates the vision while influencing the team positively and inspiring optimal performance can move the project team pass conflict into project success.

“Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”- Vince Lombardi (Vincent Lombardi, 2018) Blake, 2011, “ How Much of Communication Is Really Nonverbal?” [Blog post]. Retrieved from http:// www.nonverbalgroup.com/2011/08/how-much-of communication-is-really-nonverbal Clements, Mark, 2013, “A Wise Man will make more Opportunities than he finds” Retrieved from http://www.wattagnet.com Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Lombardi, Vincent, 2018. “ Famous Quotes Vincent Lombardi”.

Retrieved from http://www.vincentlombardi.com

SPRING 2018 | PM magazine

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VIRTUAL TEAMS: Managing People Even More Effectively in Multiple Locations In 1999, our firm was first asked to help a group of nearly 500 managers “manage distributed teams.”

Distributed teams are comprised of employees/workers that are located in different geographical locations and time zones but are united to work on a specific project. This was the beginning of a nearly 20-year journey collaborating with executives, managers, teams and organizations to improve virtual team manager performance.

The following is some of what we have learned.

Christopher DeVany President, Pinnacle Performance Improvement Worldwide

You may ask yourself these four questions: • How can we boost productivity at every location?

• What steps can we take to significantly cut down on paperwork, emails and phone calls in my office?

• Top performers – take this opportunity to publicly praise and/or to show recognition project team members • Question and answer session This agenda can easily be addressed in 15 to 20 minutes. It is important to honor the team’s time and keep time commitments.

This will support buy-in with WMMM. 3. Immediately follow-up the WMMM with a broadcast email containing the minutes from that meeting. By informing every one of the WMMM meeting minutes, you are establishing a process that will influence the team’s behavior, keeping everyone on the same page and informed. This helps everyone experience being part of one team.

• How can I spot problems even when the project teams are in different locations?

Here is a list of virtual team action plan implementation tips to help you manage a virtual team even more effectively: 1. Call an “all-hands-on” meeting on Mondays.

Remember, people can attend a meeting in a variety of ways: in-person, via conference call, Skype, you name it. Make the first meeting mandatory just to set the tone, yet convey in the meeting invite that you understand some may be traveling, ill or on vacation. Inform everyone that this will be a weekly meeting, every Monday morning at 8 am local time to your headquarters.

Call this the Weekly Monday Morning Meeting (WMMM). Yes, it’s a pain to ask those in the Pacific Time Zone to sign in for 5 a.m. PT if you are in the Eastern Time Zone, but a brief (no more than 15 to 20 minute) all-hands on meeting every Monday is an important way to convey to everyone that “we are all on one team.”

2. Keep the WMMM agenda simple, short and sweet.

For example, a 4-point agenda every week could include:

7. Create lasting bonds between site managers to help them feel they are all part of the same team. There are a variety of tools and techniques site managers can utilize to help foster teamwork and motive members to strive for highperformance. Following these steps can help build bonds between site manager and team: • Continually look for ways to recognize successful performers.

Acquiring the virtual team is one hurdle to clear but keeping project members and maintaining high performance can be another. Rewarding and recognizing desirable behavior and performance are techniques site managers can use to let individuals know they are valued. Project performance appraisals are an excellent tool to use.

• How will I know off-site employees are following rules, implementing proper policies and procedures?

What does it take to make a virtual team “work”? The first suggestion, from a “virtual” perspective is: Practice and teach your site managers (individuals who are either managing themselves or a team at a location other than yours) process, process, process.

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 5th edition, acknowledges that “The process of managing a project team involves tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues and managing team changes to optimize project performance” (PMI, 2013, p. 279). Site managers that incorporate these processes in managing their virtual team will influence team behavior. The project team will know what is expected of them and if the site manager sets the tone from the beginning, the project teams are more apt to follow along.

In addition, this process helps site managers to also manage conflict and resolve issues. A process in place leaves no room to question procedure should an issue arise. Finally, appraising team member performance is also a benefit to having a process in place to manage the project team. Team members will know what they are doing well and what skills or behaviors they need to modify or correct.

feeling like they are being micromanaged. Project team members should know in the beginning what behavior and performance is expected of them and how the site manager will monitor these.

If this information is properly communicated in the beginning with the virtual team, team members will be less likely to feel as though “Big Brother” is watching. A quick daily conference call or daily email to the virtual team will give them the understanding that management is being supportive without intrusive.

• Ask each site manager to recognize one of their fellow peers.

“It is important to honor the team’s time and keep time commitments.”

4. Share your problem-solving processes. When acquiring a virtual team, it is important for site managers to have a clear process included in the human resource management plan to resolve issues that should develop when performing project work. Project teams are more susceptible to misunderstandings and misinterpretations because of the multiple forms of communication virtual teams must utilize in lieu of face-to-face interaction. Conflict and issues are bound to happen, fortunately the processes established in the human resource management plan will give the site manager a road map on how to address and resolve team conflicts and issues.

5. Slow down the paper, e-mail and phone call blizzard.

Establishing and sharing a clear and concise communication plan with the project team, is one of the keys to saving the site manager time, energy and frustration. A communication plan benefits the project team by identifying the most effective and efficient style of communication that will be best received by those working on the virtual team: • Verify your team communication plan including norms and protocols • Ensure standard reporting forms are made available and the team is clear on which media platform should be utilized to submit forms-via, fax, email, or postage mail • Communicate clearly how frequently certain forms are to be submitted.

• Key projects we are working on this week

By following this process, you are giving tools to effectively communicate with the project team.

• Enterprise environmental factors (EEFs) – updates on new products and services, competitors’ new products and services, and/or any new laws or regulations being implemented which impact our business

6. Keep your finger on the pulse of off-site action without making employees feel like “Big Brother” is watching. A well developed and established communication plan will allow the site manager to follow up with the project team without members

• Support “Peer Pairs”, employees pairing up together to support each other and solve problems.

• Practice “two pieces of praise for each piece of criticism”.

• As, the site manager, ask “How will this criticism or praise impact our team?”

• Support and facilitate team-building activities. Team building activities help individual team members to work effectively together. Virtual teams can benefit from the team building strategies because the informal communications and activities help establish trust and good working relationships.

8. Structure teams so they will pull together. You can help teams at all locations unite by understanding and directing everyone toward one common goal…the successful completion of project work. A few things to keep in mind: • The farther a site is from you, proportionately harder and communicate more frequently with those site managers.

• Direct and facilitate regular team communication (regular team meetings and conference calls).

• Give each site manager an opportunity to lead discussion addressing an agenda item.

• Let everyone know, you facilitate team discussion but any site manager can bring a problem or issue to the table for team discussion and resolution.

• Provide as many team incentives and rewards as you can.

Bottom Line: While there are dozens of strategies, ideas, tips, tricks and techniques you can use to effectively manage a virtual team, consider this advice from experience and create a 8 week Virtual Team Implementation Action Plan. It will ultimately support the development of your team. In addition, it will help you and your team members avoid feeling overwhelmed, misunderstood, and underappreciated.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

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PM magazine | SPRING 2018

Essential Steps for Coaching Teams to Success Kashay Hampton is the program director of Extended Learning Opportunities at Family League of Baltimore, a quasi-governmental non-profit organization in Baltimore. She is responsible for developing strategies that impact out of Kashay Hampton Program Director, school time programming for Family League youth in Baltimore city. Out of Baltimore of school time programming is formal and structured opportunities for schoolaged youth that can complement the regular school day. This includes before, afterschool and weekend programs; summer learning opportunities; service learning; mentoring and internships. In addition, Ms. Hampton leads professional development for funded partners that provide direct services to youth. She understands the necessary components of organizing, developing, managing and leading teams. She wanted to share some words of wisdom, including her five essential steps for coaching teams to success.

Q: Please describe your experience managing teams?

A: Over the years, I have had the opportunity to manage diverse teams comprised of 2-25 people. That includes employees new to the workforce, those that have been in the workforce for a while and those who are considered experienced workers. Additionally, I had the opportunity to manage full-time, part-time and seasonal workers. When working with diverse staff it is important to remember that they may require different management styles. When managers have smaller teams, it may be easier to get to know individuals faster, work collaboratively and informally.

Similar strategies for larger teams can be utilized, but managers may have to shift the frequency of support given and leverage other interactions such as teambuilding activities to get to know team members. It is important to carve out time to check in with the team individually and develop their skills. In the out of school time field, it is not uncommon to have frequent turnover of front line staff. This is challenging when attempting to build teams.

Q: What is the most challenging part of managing and developing teams?

A: Managers may find it challenging to manage teams that are comprised of many seasoned workers.

Oftentimes, groupthink can become the norm.

According to PMI, groupthink can be described as the way a group thinks or makes decisions that encourages collective thinking - with one mind. Groupthink is dangerous for a team because it does not encourage creative thinking or individual responsibility when making decisions. It can be frustrating for managers and must be addressed immediately. Secondly, with larger teams it may be challenging for managers to focus on the work, while also staying abreast of any trends or negative behavior that can impact the team.

Team members can be influenced by their peers.

When they see others getting away with negative behavior with little or no consequences, you can bet that more and more of that behavior will be adopted.

When managing teams, it is important not to enforce a strict, punitive environment. However, it is important to address any potential negative behaviors that could impact the team swiftly and directly. It is important for managers to instill a strong work ethic and values

that are aligned to the organization. Compassion is good, but can be taken advantage of if it is not used with other coaching tools. At the same time, being rigid is not productive for teams either. There is a fine balance and experience will help managers perfect this balance. PMI reminds us that effective and open communication, developing trust and creating team building opportunities will support high team performance. Building trust will help in the long run especially when making decisions and resolving conflict in a healthy way (PMI, 2013).

the creation of individual growth plans. A good practice is to check in with team members at least monthly to assess where they are and what supports they may need to reach their goals. It should be noted that this process is more effective when relationships are established. Some organizations do not follow traditional guidelines of assessment and push this back until a later time. When you think about it, it makes sense. It can take six months to one year for an employee to really understand job responsibilities and the organization’s culture.

Q: How do you identify a team member’s strengths and weaknesses?

A: Successful teams have a diversity of strengths and a strength based approach has many advantages.

“Gallup analysis reveals that people who use their strengths every day are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life, six times more likely to be engaged at work, 8% more productive and 15% less likely to quit their jobs” (Flade, Peter et. al., 2013). Talents are developed into strengths and

Q: How has studying project management enhanced your ability to support teams?

A: Various project management processes and tools/ techniques are used in my current work including, but not limited to, decision making, communicating, engaging stakeholders and, of course, developing and managing teams. When developing teams, interpersonal skills are key. PMI teaches us that interpersonal skills, also known as soft skills, are behavioral competencies that include things such as emotional intelligence, communication skills, conflict resolution & negotiation and team building. These soft skills are extremely valuable when developing a project team (PMI, 2013). In addition, is important for managers to get to know their team through personal observations and conversations. It is also critical to establish ground rules early, clearly define goals, address conflict directly and swiftly, facilitate team building activities and implement a system of rewards and recognition. It is so fascinating to see how all the knowledge areas come together. Studying project management can also connect you to a network of project management professionals who you can collaborate with and continue to learn new skills from.

“Talents are developed into strengths and this helps people perform better and engage more.” this helps people perform better and engage more.

There are assessments such as Strengths Finder (now called the Clifton Strengths Assessment) that focuses on the following domains: strategic thinking, executing, influencing and relationship building. Not only does it identify a person’s top five strengths, but it also can help to improve self-awareness skills, marketing skills to others, and improved performance.

I learned through this assessment that a few of my top strengths include communicator, developer and connector. Project Management Institute, shares that there are a variety of tools available to help project managers assess team members’ processing of information, preferences, aspirations, interactions with other and decision making. Ultimately these tools help build productive teams.

While assessments are great tools, communication, personal observations and other internal assessments can help a manager identify a team member’s strengths and weaknesses. Sitting down with a team member and asking them about their strengths and weaknesses is an important part of the process. Also, gathering information from others in the organization, taking time to conduct personal observations and utilizing data to assess progress toward goals will also support this process. All this information will support

Ultimately, studying project management helps managers take a more strategic approach to planning, implementation and successfully completing tasks and projects.

Q: What are five essential strategies to coaching teams to success that you would like to share with others, especially those managing teams?

A: Managers have the ability to pull from experiences, existing knowledge and lessons learned. It is important to constantly learn and evolve. Five essential strategies to coaching teams to success include: 1. Remember that success has layers. For most projects/programs, success is completing a project within cost, on time according to requirements.

However, human resource management focuses on people, therefore managers should feel empowered to think about success in terms of the experiences and lessons learned throughout the journey.

Teams should take time to assess their growth and knowledge obtained along the way. Ideal success is accomplishing set goals, but also watching the team become more cohesive and witnessing individual team members learn new skills.

2. Have a clear vision and be able to consistently articulate that vision to your team.

3. Do not cut corners, take the time to build relationships with your team. Embrace diversity and be open to learning new things, even from those you supervise. Interpersonal skills are the secret ingredient to success.

4. Create systems to assess strengths and areas of improvements as well as a tiered system of

SPRING 2018 | PM magazine

supports. When assessing strengths and areas of improvement, there are so many resources and tools available to do this in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and online. Choose the one that works best for you and the team. However, do not negate the importance of conversations and observations. Create a tiered system of supports, especially for larger teams. Give intense supervision and extra support to under-performers. Help to build their capacity so that they can meet expectations. For those team members meeting expectations, provide coaching. Coaching helps staff members by providing a moderate level of support and accountability while encouraging them to take strategic risks to advance their growth and development. Finally, for the high performers, mentor them and create greater opportunities for innovation and ownership over their work. With high achieving team members, the goal is to groom them for the next steps in their careers while challenging them to try new things and expand their

skill set. Managers should work collaboratively with team members to create individualized professional development plans.

5. Implement an engagement, motivation and recognition system. It is important to understand how to engage the team and what motivates them.

A good practice is to make it a priority to discover how individual team members like to be recognized for achievements, as well as, determining whole group incentives. PMI stresses the importance of project managers providing challenging assignments to team members and recognition for high performance (PMI, 2013). The final step is to ensure that you implement this system fairly and consistently across the team.

This can be discussed and agreed upon by the whole team to ensure buy-in.

Q: What other advice would you like to share with managers?

A: Project success is important! However, to achieve

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that project success, it is essential that project managers take the time to build, develop, manage, motivate and lead their teams. Being intentional about these key aspects will support employee retention, produce a healthy, collaborative team and grow the team’s competencies. These key components, when done effectively will ultimately support project success. Finally, it is important to remember that as managers, we play an integral role in growing individuals and I am honored to be given that opportunity. While this work can be challenging, it is also extremely rewarding!

Flade, Peter et al. (2015, October). Gallup Business Journal.

Employees Who Use Their Strengths Outperform Those Who Don’t. Retrieved from: http://news.gallup.com/ businessjournal/186044/employees-strengths-outperformdon.aspx Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

How to Harness the Positive Power of Intercultural Collaboration Collaboration must be high on the project management agenda. The work place is like a maze of different national, professional and corporate cultures intertwined with the team members’ distinctive Karen Smits, Ph.D. perspectives on the project.

Global Thinker on To achieve collaboration, Organizational Culture project participants must & Change Management, Practical Thinking Group combine their ideas, bridge gaps between their cultural values and create understanding of what kind of organizational behavior is (and is not) accepted in the project organization. According to PMI (2013), an organization’s culture, style and structure influence how its projects are performed. Often, it is the project manager’s task to figure out how to capture the team’s desires so that everyone is willing to accept and adjust practices that result in a fruitful, collaborative relationship. In a project’s initial phase, a project manager has to be forward thinking in identifying the proper human resources applicable that can be collaborated to produce the project deliverables.

Based on academic study, I explain the journey towards developing a collaborative relationship in a Collabyrinth. This neology of ‘collaboration’ and ‘labyrinth’ reflects the complicatedness of intercultural collaboration. In addition, the Collabyrinth model explores how participants ultimately learn to collaborate in a complex, holding environment where there are many cultural differences. When working in projects, people are obliged to find their way to navigate this complexity. At first project workers might feel disoriented, which is illustrated by conflicts and frustration amongst them. Eventually, they realize that working together is only way to deal with obstacles encountered along their journey (Smits, 2013).

Collaboration planning allows the project manager to set the project roles, responsibilities and reporting relationships among the intercultural teams working together to achieve project goals. Keep in mind that according to PMI, the human resource management plan provides guidance on how these partnerships should be defined, staffed, managed and released

“ Too often project partners start off as

a homogeneous group sharing ideologies about the project’s goal, values and principles. However, once project execution starts, they fail to apply these values to their everyday practices.”

(PMI, 2013).

The Collabyrinth model contains six practices of collaboration: actions and activities that people take while making sense of intercultural collaboration in their daily work life. They include:

• Conflicting conditions: team members become aware of different cultures on the team, and have difficult discussions about roles and responsibilities.

• Seeking consent: team members seek to establish common ground across cultural groups; this can result in an “us” versus “them” dynamic.

• Crafting reciprocal relations: team members show a willingness to build working relationships across cultural divides.

• Submarining: team members recur to traditional behavior and habits.

• Storytelling: team members begin building crosscultural connections.

• Synergizing: team members are open to learn from each other and build a new project culture together.

These practices highlight how people deal with cultural complexity in the workplace and capture the doings and sayings that both hinder and support collaboration in the workplace. On a daily basis, processes of translation, negotiation and power struggles are continuously present in the team members’ actions and activities, and these are reflected in the practices of collaboration.

“The project management team should capitalize on cultural differences, focus on developing and sustaining the project team throughout the project life cycle, and promote working together interdependently in a climate of mutual trust” (PMI, 2013. p. 276).

Too often project partners start off as a homogeneous group sharing ideologies about the project’s goal, values and principles. However, once project execution starts, they fail to apply these values to their everyday practices. Levels of authority, position in hierarchy, identity and work methods are challenged, and friction arises among project participants.

When this happens, the project manager then needs to re-establish the feeling of togetherness and personal commitment amongst the project participants. The Collabyrinth model can be a useful tool in project management because it emphasizes the importance of understanding the team’s current state, and provides a course of action for harnessing the positive power of intercultural collaboration.

To achieve synergy, the project manager might conduct a culture scan, reserve time for parties to get to know each other and highlight common grounds. Project Management Institute, PMI (2013) reminds us that team building activities promote team members working together effectively. After all, project execution requires the collaborative efforts of its team members. And without collaboration, no project organization can achieve desired results.

Project Management Institute (2013). Project Management Body of Knowledge 5th Ed. Newton Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Smits, K. (2013). Cross Culture of Work: Practices of Collaboration in the Panama Canal Expansion Program. Delft, Next Generation Infrastructures Foundation.

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PM magazine | SPRING 2018

STUDENT TEAM BIOGRAPHIES Wilhelmina Austin, CAPM MSPM c/o 2018 Wilhelmina Austin graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2016. Wilhelmina was born in Ghana and came to the United States in 2003.

Before coming to the United States, she lived in Australia and Malaysia. She is currently enrolled in the Masters of Science in Project Management at Morgan State University.

Wilhelmina is employed as a senior business operation associate with TEKsystems, which is an Information Technology staffing solutions and services company. She manages the account receivables for various clients, ensuring accurate and timely billing.

She was previously a senior education consultant at Sephora at JCPenney. At Sephora, she led a small team and developed her professional and interpersonal skills. Wilhelmina received her Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) in October 2017.

As a future graduate of Morgan State University’s Masters of Science in Project Management program in May 2018, Wilhelmina plans to apply her knowledge and experience to pursue a career in project management. She wants to become a project coordinator to help her teams to flourish and attain their professional and personal goals. Wilhelmina plans to take the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in the near future.

Nicole S. Moseley, CAPM MSPM c/o 2018 Nicole S. Moseley began her college career at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, PA and later transferred to Morgan State University (MSU), obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2014. Currently, she is enrolled in Morgan State University’s Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) program and will graduate in May 2018.

Nicole has over 12 years of experience working in the Administrative field, starting with The State of Maryland in the Business and Economic Department as a Project Coordinator. There, she was responsible for managing the project workflow, in addition to managing customer and vendor relationships for the graphic art team. She was a major contributor to the project processes the graphic art team implemented and are currently using today. Nicole is currently working at Johns Hopkins University as a senior administrative coordinator with the Institute in Health and Social Policy, School of Public Health. Nicole has obtained her Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification and is working on Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. She hopes to use all of her knowledge and experience to work as a Project Manager consultant on urban development projects.

Keith D. Cunningham MSPM c/o 2018 Keith D. Cunningham graduated from Morgan State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Science.

He decided to return in 2016, and is now enrolled in the Master of Science in Project Management and will be graduating this year.

He began working as an implementation specialist in the Telematics department at Element Fleet Management, LLC, where he manages the service that combines in-vehicle technology and fleet data with consultative analytics and end-to-end management. From this experience, he became interested in the project management field and received his first Lean Six Sigma White Belt certification in 2017. Keith loves seeing a project come to life, being able to improve processes, and believes that project management is a great training ground for bigger opportunities.

Upon graduating this year, Keith plans to complete the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification to become a project manager and work on projects that provide constant challenges, growth and opportunities to travel the world while learning. He wants to combine his business management and Six Sigma skills together, and ultimately, plans on being his own boss and owning his own businesses.

Osman Iddrisu MSPM c/o 2018 Osman Iddrisu obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Integrated Development Studies at University for Development Studies in Ghana in 2013. He is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Project Management Program at Morgan State University.

Osman is currently an administrative support for the Fairmont and Resort Hotel in Washington, DC. Osman has seven years teaching experience of early childhood education in Ghana where he helped to support and shape the lives of many children in Ghana. Osman also has two years of experience in Project Coordinating from National Youth Authority, a government institution in charge of youth and community development in Ghana. This is where he developed an interest in Project Management as a new career.

Osman aims to complete his graduate studies in May 2018 and gain the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, simultaneously. After graduation, Osman’s objective is to apply his knowledge and skills as a quality control manager in government projects.

Letitia Matthews MSPM c/o 2018 Letitia Matthews received her Bachelor of Arts in Administration and Management in 2014 from Sojourner Douglass College. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Project Management program at Morgan State University.

As a specialist with the U.S. Federal Government, Letitia works on several special projects with Associate Commissioners and executive staff to improve the outcomes of project objectives. She contributes her expertise to forming coalitions with advisory groups and facilitates changes to various agency policies. Letitia has assisted the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office Outreach Staff with veteran’s benefits workshops and town halls, as well as developed and facilitated job enrichment programs for employees.

Letitia anticipates obtaining the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification Spring 2018 and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification Fall 2018. She intends to become a project manager within the U.S. Federal Government for worldwide assignments in support of military contingency operations and overseas crises.

She plans to use her experience and knowledge to provide expert guidance, ensure mission logistics and develop program initiatives.

Jenee Tucker, PMP MSPM c/o 2018 Jenee Tucker obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Virginia Union University in 2001. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Project Management program at Morgan State University.

Jenee is currently a program director for the non-profit, quasi-governmental organization, The Family League of Baltimore. She manages programs that support Baltimore’s underserved communities through strategic partnerships that promote student achievement, positive conditions for learning, strong families and healthy communities. For fifteen years, Jenee has managed programs within various sectors including city and state agencies, non-profits and quasi-governmental agencies. Jenee has experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders, facilitating professional development, managing budgets and leading small teams. She has led four youth development programs aimed at improving outcomes for underserved youth through mentoring, tutoring and partnerships. Additionally, Jenee has worked as a consultant for local community based organizations. She has an extensive knowledge of urban education systems and family and community engagement strategies that support academic achievement.

Jenee obtained the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification Spring 2018. She aspires to use her knowledge and experience to create and lead her own non-profit aimed at helping Baltimore residents reach their full potential.

Our Program & Links to PMI | 100% Online Graduate Programs In Project Management The program requires 30 credits and a comprehensive examination. Program participants complete courses as a cohort. The interdisciplinary feature of the MSPM allows students to take three supporting courses that form the focus areas in a wide range of fields.

Morgan State University’s graduate programs in Project Management are offered by the department of Information Science and Systems in the Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. The MSPM program is suitable for professionals that want to develop their knowledge and skills to move up to senior planning, consulting, and project management positions. Applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, at least two years professional level work experience, and meet the MSU Graduate School admission requirements.

Samples of courses offered include: Foundations in Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Project Integration and Scope Management Building and Leading Successful Project Teams Project Time and Cost Management Managing Project Procurement, Quality, and Risk

college or university that has U.S. accreditation or the global equivalent. A PMI student membership also offers discounts on certifications such as the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and the Project Management Professional (PMP). Additionally, PMI in collaboration with MSU has held CAPM, PMP, PMI-RMP, Agile, and ITIL exam prep workshops on the campus of Morgan State and continues to offer the workshops every spring and fall.

Please visit us at www.morgan.edu, then proceed to Academic Programs.

Students choose three courses from a list of over 40 courses to integrate project management skills in a specific subject area from Architecture; The Arts; Business; City and Regional Planning; Civil Engineering; Industrial Engineering; Information Technology; Science; and Transportation.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers membership to full time students in degree-granting programs at a

1700 E. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251

IAAP is a not for profit association for administrative professionals.

The IAAP’s mission is to ensure individuals working in office and administrative professions have the opportunity to connect, learn, lead and excel. The IAAP at Johns Hopkins Local Area Network (LAN) is dedicated to the professional development of its members – the office and administrative professionals of the Johns Hopkins University and Health Systems. By investing in our members, we assist each on a journey toward job satisfaction, career growth, personal empowerment and enrichment. To learn more about IAAP at Johns Hopkins contact Vonette Yon, CAP, OM at iaapjhlan@jhu.edu.