I was pleased to see my colleague Lizzie Mant recently presented about the importance of the triple constraint in project management. As a seasoned veteran of project management I know that you can rarely escape the limitations of SCOPE, COST and TIME. However as we are asked to do more for less and faster, how can this be done if the triple constraints are fixed. Projects are often created based on the assumption that they are all run well, resources perform evenly and resources allocated fairly. This is the ideal, but not always the case. I genuinely think that the people you have to work with on the project and how you work with them could be the single most empowering factor and could lead to faster, better, cheaper deliverable. I propose we consider an additional factor, the TEAM at the early stages of a project too.
Therefore we should still review the SCOPE, COST and TIME, but consider the performance of the TEAM as a multiplier. I am sure you will nod and agree, as we have all achieved some phenomenal results with a great team, often despite having too much scope and not enough time, I know I have. At the same time I have seen teams rich with resources and time failing to meet their scope. I know my PMI brothers and sisters will tell me that the team should is considered as part of the resource plan or a part of the execution phase, but it clearly assumes that all people fit the ‘check the box’ criteria and we all know that some teams just work better than others.
To make this more paradoxical, while we are portfolio managing and constructing project charters we pretend we are ignorant of the resource pool, however if you have a small (less than 50) PMO & team you have limited resources and you will only have a handful of Project Managers that will be able to manage the projects. In this situations the team is a key multiplier from the start. We know some teams are more successful working within the same triple constraint as others. Alternatively some projects fail by being assigned the wrong team irrespective of other factors.
So why is this important ? In general terms if you agree, it means a good project manager (and his team) could do more for the same cost or do it quicker … or of course complete the scope for less cost or time. What it means is that ability of the project manager and the team should be considered when evaluating the scope, time and cost. Not afterwards. It mean beating deadlines, not over running, it means happy customers and repeat billings, it means bonus and success.
To follow on what this really means is that your departments have some stars that genuinely drive value or lower total cost. This is important, these guys achieve the projects that meet your bonus targets. If these were machines you would use them with gloves, have a preventative maintenance plan, disaster recovery and regular servicing plans to keep the machine working in top order. However these assets are not machines, they are people. But they are still equally valuable at turning a profit and you should look to treat them the same way. If fact better, as they can leave and work for someone else!
Part of this “treating your team like they are the assets” is a state of mind. I have seen a few post on “leaders eat last” and similar and it reminds me of an example in my last project of how the small things matter. For instance one example was where I had my business user team fly in for meetings, testing and training at our IT centre. They were assets on my project so I needed to make their life easy and they needed to know I valued them. To ensure they were comfortable and got to their hotels I visited Orlando airport 4 times in two days to meet and collect them all. They had all just done a long haul over a weekend and could have used one of the car services, but I insisted I picked them each up. It was one less thing for them to worry about when they landed and each one of those people were valuable to my project. I needed them to know they were important to me, picking them up with a smile, a cold bottle or water, fruit and a bag of chips/crisps cost nothing of note, just my time. However it builds a bridge and showed them that they were important to me. Important enough to pick them up and mess up my weekend. This is one of a number of small things you have to do to make them feel valued. Their attitude the following week was exemplary, I believe partly because they knew I treated them like they were valuable to me and not just allocated resources. They in turn wanted to repay that respect and we achieved everything planned, plus more with a day to spare. Who knows if it made a difference, who cares, it certainly helped bind us into a good team.
I think there are 3 takeaways to consider.
- The value/impact that the right team has when considering SCOPE, TIME and COST is critical. I believe the right team can act as a multiplier. You don’t just want a project manager, you want a project manager that can drive your team to over perform and achieve the targets you are measured against.
- The project manager may deliver your project, but the development and coaching of the team are your responsibility and together they earn you your bonus. A great team is the most valuable asset a manager has and they need to foster this.
- Teams are not static and people unlike machines they can leave. You have to have a program that runs over years that grows resources organically. You can use contractors to fill gaps or provide depth, but you should also grow your own experts too and growing expertise takes time. Anything that is valuable takes time to mature.
All said and done, just remember when you are spending your bonus, remember who earned it. Your job is to keep that golden goose well feed, healthy and protected – It has clearly served you well up to now !
If you would like to discuss with me any of the topics discussed please email me at mailto:Rory@ClarkeProjectSolutions.com