Download Geese and Program Management - An Analogy to Working Together

Geese and Program Management
An Analogy to Working Together for Successful Program Management
David L. Davis, PMP
Introduction
Implementing Program Management is much more of a journey than
an event. The care and feeding of the projects is a constant demand
for successful program / portfolio management. This paper will use
an analogy of geese and their migratory habits to describe the interrelationship of various components of program management.
Basic Assumption
The benefit of an integrated program management system is to
ensure information is communicated through current, consistent,
clear, concise, and comprehensible content for all projects and
portfolios in the program.
Abstract
Like programs, geese have a well defined life cycle / year and are
dependant on flock maturity to survive. Both undertake long
journeys laden with risk and uncertainty. The members of the flock
must work together. All geese benefit from each other’s flapping of
wings – in program management each must use the strength of the
other projects. Finally, the geese survive on communication; a
program must survive by clear, concise, current communication
across the portfolio. Just as geese survive by maximizing the skills
and condition of each member, a program must utilize the skills and
conditions of each project / project manager to survive.
A basic philosophy of mine is that the IPMS
should be structured logically so data is only
entered once. The thought being that duplicate
entry points can lead to discrepancies and other
time wasters.
If the project plan is baselined, then the project
is baselined. That means that all tasks in the
WBS and all major milestones are defined,
assigned, and agreed to. So if all the tasks are
baselined, then the system can easily roll that
up to the entire project being baselined.
However I still encounter resistance and hear,
that if there was just a check box, I could
quickly indicate its baselined and not have to
mess with the whole project thing. I firmly
believe that putting in capabilities that promote
discrepancy is a major cause of failure in IPMS
implementation. At times it seems that a 5
minute fix is all that’s needed and a more
integrated solution is over-engineering.
However, over time, the quick fix starts to
haunt the IPMS credibility and the time
required to synch up all the pieces ends up costs
hours and hours. Plus, every time the IPMS
shows inconsistency, the overall adoption of the
tool is compromised.
Exhbit 1
Why Geese
First and foremost, I am a practitioner of project/program/portfolio management. As such, I have daily exposure to
positives and negatives. I also have the honor of providing application administration for several organizations
implementing Integrated Portfolio Management Systems (IPMS). I remember a Thursday afternoon in 2005 in
which I had implemented what I thought was a simple process for organizations to follow to identify a project plan
as baselined in the application and that a subsequent report would use that information to identify the baseline status
of the project schedule. To me it was quite simple, use MS Project to baseline the project and then upload the
project file to the IPMS. The report would use the baseline start date to determine if the project was baselined.
Simply put, if there was a value in the field, it was baselined, if the field was null, the project was not baselined.
To say the least, one group grasped this quickly and understood the relationship. They were able to implement this
process immediately. Another group did not fare so well. They couldn’t understand the relationship – they wanted
a field on the project page they could check as baselined (Exhibit 1)
On one of my introspective moments I was contemplating why some organizations were “better” at portfolio
management than other organizations. I thought it maybe had to do with skill sets, aptitude, knowledge. Just about
then, a good friend sent me an email with the subject of how Geese are able to succeed in their long migrations
© 2007, David l. Davis, PMP
Originally published as a part of 2007 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Seattle
1
because of how they work together. So I introspected
some more and started to realize the relationship –
thus this paper. More of an analogy from a
practitioner, than a self-proclaimed silver bullet
guaranteed to solve all your problems in one swell
foop.
What Do I Know About Geese?
As I started to put this paper together, I started to
think what do I know about Geese. Quite frankly I
realized it wasn’t much. I scratched down my
thoughts and was able to determine what the
following:
I grew up in the Western Lake Erie basin and every
year there were large migrations of Canadian Geese.
These geese flew in a V formation and made a lot of
noise. Their honks could be heard from a long
distance and their migration had a majestic flair.
Our corporate headquarters had many geese living
around it and they would walk around the sidewalks
and make a large mess.
They could fly a long distance for a relatively large
bird.
They were better at protecting property than a watch
dog. As teenagers, we were going to toilet paper a
classmates yard and their geese made such a ruckus –
we were chased away.
Geese bite, and it hurts.
Life expectancy about 20 years, Weight: 20-25 pounds
Migration is a learned process
Migratory geese flight range 2 – 3 thousand miles
Migratory geese become resident geese if they are injured.
Mating season: February to March
Geese mate for life and will stay together during all seasons., but
Geese will find a new mate if mate dies.
Nesting Season: Mid March to mid May, Age of geese when they
begin to nest: 3 years
Geese return to the general area of their birth each year to mate and
nest. Sometimes the exact site, sometimes a nearby pond or other
body of water.
Migratory geese fly 2,000–3,000 miles to return to these sites.
Geese prefer isolated sites near water to nest. Islands are their favorite
location.
When egg laying begins the "Father" goose will stand sentinel watch
nearby, but not so close as to give away location of nest to a predator.
When a solitary goose is seen during nesting season a nest is
somewhere in the vicinity.
The eggs in a nest are called a "clutch", Average number of eggs in a
nest: 5
Mother goose lays 1 egg approximately 1 day apart until full clutch is
obtained., Incubation time: 28 – 30 days
All geese eggs in a single clutch hatch on approximately the same day
Baby geese are called "goslings".
Natural predators of geese are foxes, raccoons, owls and snapping
turtles
Goslings can fly approximately 2-3 months after hatching.
During June adult geese lose wing feathers and are unable to fly. This
is called molting.
Geese can fly again approximately 6 weeks after molting.
During the molt geese need to be near water (any water) for easy
escape from predators
The next step was obvious, if I were to learn more
about Geese and how they work together, then I
needed research and did my quick jump to
www.google.com. I found some pretty amazing facts
which I list in exhibit 2. As I looked over this list of
Exhibit 1 Facts About Geese
facts I realized that there are many similarities
between people and geese. The main similarity is the relationship to the individual and the flock. In a goose gaggle,
the survival is dependant on a relationship of learned behavior and individual instinct. Each group performs specific
tasks to protect the other members of the team, each is capable of incredible physical performance, each is part of a
tem, but needs space alone to complete their tasks, each has predators and competitors, and finally, each has
engrained patterns that they will not abandoned until forced to change.
A light bulb suddenly went off during my introspective moment as I was reading my goose email. Successful
Program Management is a behavioral issue, not a technical issue. So the key to successful program implementation
is a support structure across the organization, so the challenge becomes how to get members of the same team to
work together and gain efficiencies.
© 2007, David l. Davis, PMP
Originally published as a part of 2007 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Seattle
2
Behavioral Issue
Using the premise that the success of a
portfolio management is a behavioral issue
and not a technical issues is the foundation of
the analogy between geese and program
management. In the simplest sense, behavior
is the reaction of an individual to various
stimuli. Behavior can either be acquired or
instinctive. This paper looks at the acquired
aspects of behavior and how the influence of
other members of the team, and the survival
of the team is dependant on this behavior.
Appendix 1 contains a copy of a posted entry
to my blog on ITTOOLBOX
http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/pm/dldavis/
comparing Maslow’s Hierarchy to Program
Management. This model defines an
escalating level of individual behavior based
on the needs of the individual project
manager. These needs are cultivated and
nurtured by peers, coaches, and organizational
culture. Thus there is a direct correlation
between individual performance and the team
of which the individual is a member.
One of the largest challenges to adoption that I have
encountered is related to team members ‘baselining’ artifacts
within the Portfolio Management Tool. I have had to deal with
claims such as: “It’s a project management tool and I don’t
have time to access another system” or the infamous, “I wrote
the document, or filled out the spreadsheet form, why do I need
to go into a system and baseline it?” What do you want me to
do? Sell to customers or do busy work in a system?”
The simple answer is yes, I do want you to spend a small
amount of time indicating concurrence to an artifact for the
project. The time commitment is minimal and the value of a
time stamped baselined document is invaluable. It represents
an agreed to snap shot in time contained in a central repository.
Other stakeholders can access this document if necessary, and
permissions allowed, and the overall process can be analyzed
with empirical data to determine opportunities for
improvement. In a true team environment that spans multiple
organizations (sales, operations, development, etc.) adherence
to a policy and agreement that the IPMS contains the business
information for all Work In Progress, the baselining expectation
is easily understood and encounters little resistance. Executives
need to demonstrate the need for attention to this minutia so
there is consistent process and data across the enterprise.
Compliance to process cannot be handled from the bottom up.
By looking at how geese work together, a
Exhibit 2 IPMS Rant 2
program management process can
significantly increase the productivity of each project manager in the team. The attitude and aptitude of members of
the program management team is critical to the success of the program. There is a relationship between projects,
project managers, artifacts, and risk items. One of the expectations of a program management tool is to allow a
PMO manager to be able to scan across down and into each component of a project.
The challenge of a Portfolio Management Organization involves how to keep each project current, how to cross
reference components, how to insure compliance of the team members, how to help other areas of the business adopt
the tool, how to assist wounded projects (think goose shot by a hunter) and how to encourage each other. Also, the
goose has a family unit that teaches new goslings the rules of survival and how to gain efficiencies from each other –
how do project managers train each other and gain efficiencies from the tool?
Geese Behavior and Program Management
Geese think and behave as a group in order to survive, we can learn from the goose on how to better manage the
projects within the program. The remainder of this paper will look at how, and inspire you to look at opportunities
to better identify and capitalize on the power of the team and the tool in program management.
Why do Geese fly in a V formation?
Geese migration is an example of where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The email stated that by
flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flies on its own.
A common direction and sense of community helps the geese get to their destination quicker and also allows an
organization to realize the benefits of portfolio management earlier. One of the intrinsic benefits of a portfolio
management tool is the capability it provides to track and timestamp various artifacts and steps within the defined
project process. This audit trail capability may not have a day-to-day use, but provides a wealth of information
regarding timeframes for various phases and information to conduct lessons learned. This audit trail will also
provide detail for Sarbanes Oxley audits or other legal reporting needs.
© 2007, David l. Davis, PMP
Originally published as a part of 2007 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Seattle
3
Falling Out of Formation
Whenever a goose falls out of foundation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone.
Everybody has the best of intentions, but taking care of
the low level minutia that makes up a portfolio
management system is cumbersome, time consuming, and
some people may see it of little value. A basic premise of
a portfolio application is that executive levels of
information can be gleamed from multiple projects at one
time. However, to get that executive level, the lowest of
details must be there and many project managers will not
put it in, unless they are hounded to put it in, or they are
‘punished’ if they don’t. Excellence is a mindset and the
middle manager MUST maintain vigilance to insure
compliance. This represents a behavioral issue for both
the project manager and the coach. There will be a large
amount of energy required to make sure all the details are
nurtured to make the executive view accurate and usable.
If its not in the tool – it doesn’t exist
There is a tendency among project managers, and
their associated coaches to take action prior to
documenting the real issue.
I try to practice the rule that if it isn’t in the tool, it
doesn’t exist. I believe that by taking the time to
think through the issue, writing it down, and
documenting it in the tracking tool is actually a
time saver instead of immediately calling a
conference call to discuss the issue.
Many items are lost and time wasted by not having
the discipline to use the IPMS and defined
processes to track issue.
Now that the PPMS tracks all aspects of the project, the
project manager’s attention to detail is now exposed to
Yes there are times when the scramble approach
peers and managers. In the past, a project manager had
works, but it is not a sustainable approach. Pretty
control over when information about the project was
soon it becomes a ‘chicken little’ approach and the
shared and available for all members of the project team
urgency of a true emergency is lost.
and for executives. The project manager could mask
blemishes and possible lapses by controlling when information was shared. For example, if the project manager led
a project status call every other Thursday, they could possibly wait until Wednesday night to update their issues
report. If an issue was due a week before, the report might not get updated until before the review. Now with a
portfolio management system, the day the issue becomes past due it can be flagged in reports. The PM might now
have to do daily management of the issues.
The Project Manager that refuses to use the IPMS tool will
eventually find it too much work to go it alone. The social needs of the individual will drive behavior to conform to
the processes imposed by the IPMS. The team will benefit from the commonality.
Lead Goose Gets Tired
When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates to the back and
lets another one fly point.
In the behavior patterns of a successful program, there
needs to be a balance among team members of leadership,
exposure, and recognition. Every organization has its top
rated members, and that is acknowledged by members of
the team. The coach needs to make sure that all members of
the team get recognized for their contribution and individual
growth. There really is nothing within an IPMS tool to
enforce support structure. This is where the art of managing
a team comes in. The good coach, will be able to find ways
to recognize team members and help them learn from each
other. An item I have found successful in the past is to have
shared learning’s among the team to promote an aspect of
project management and demonstrate that to the team via a
web meeting or other collaborative environment.
This also implies the members of the team are willing to
People Will Blame The Tool For Their Own Defects
It’s a rule of human nature. People will blame the tool
to hide their own insecurities and lack of knowledge.
No matter what tool is created, it will have its own set
of idiosyncrasies and there will be some things the
application will require that make no sense at all, but
the application requires it. Be thick skinned and
prepared for people to blame the tool for their
problems. One of our frequent tool blamers does a lot
of work via a dial up connection instead of the office
on the intranet or from home via broadband. This tool
(as most server based applications) does not perform
well over dial up. It is slow, even on the network, and
with dial up it might even time out on requests. Thus
it is a great excuse for the PM not paying attention to
the previous mentioned minutia.
Exhibit 4 IPMS Rant 4
© 2007, David l. Davis, PMP
Originally published as a part of 2007 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Seattle
4
share the spotlight. Its important for all members to realize when they need help and ask for it. Leadership is more
effective among peers when teamwork is demonstrated day in and day out.
The other aspect of this goose point is the relationship it has to team members going on vacation or other times when
a backup is needed. By having all members of the team rotate to the point, there is better coverage while an
individual is on vacation.
The Goose Honk From Behind to Encourage the Point to Keep Up Speed
This item is directly related to the previous point. In a long migration, all members of the team work together to
encourage each other. The same behavior is important for overall success in program management. Each member
must encourage each other and feel they can contribute to the team, the process, the tools, the consistent reports, and
the capability for enhancement. The individual’s must be able to improve the IPMS and not be regulated to data
entry tasks just to meet the consistent reporting.
When a Goose Gets Sick or Wounded
The last bullet point in the email of my illumination involves how geese react when a member gets sick or wounded.
Granted, Canadian Geese are hunted in many points along their migration path and have many predators that are out
to kill them. Although this survival tactic is not socially acceptable in a business environment, there are still pockets
of people who are vengeful and un-accepting of others. The team needs to stick together until the crisis is resolved.
The team needs to be able to have a safe area to vent frustrations and commiserate with fellow project/program
managers. The important part here is team work and social support structure. A Program Management team
genially cares for each other and are there to help each other through the rough times.
Conclusion
Successful program management is a state of mind. In order for an Integrated Portfolio Management System to be
successful, there must be team-oriented behavior by the project managers. The team must work together and learn
together and thus will be able to sell the benefits of the program office. There is no silver bullet, only through hard
work, encouragement, and sharing the point, will a team succeed long term.
© 2007, David l. Davis, PMP
Originally published as a part of 2007 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Seattle
5
Appendix 1
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Program Management
Every introduction to psychology class, every introduction to management class, and every teaching degree program
stress the importance of the Maslow Hierarchy for attaining self-realization. The fundamentals of this hierarchy is
that physical needs must be met prior to any success on psychological needs like performance and innovation.
This model should not be compared to the maturity models. This looks at individual “needs” and how attainment of
certain needs allows the individuals to attain higher performance. The needs of the individual, combined with the
maturity / social structure of the organization work concurrently to attain higher levels of organizational
performance and consistent reporting of all projects across the portfolio.
This hierarchy applies to the concept of implementing any program management tool into an organization.
Maslow’s Tier
Physiological
Security
(Safety) Needs
Maslow Definition
Needs such as air, warmth,
food, sleep, stimulation and
activity. This need concerns
biological balance and
stable equilibrium
(homeostasis). These needs
can be very strong because
if deprived over time, the
person will die.
Program Management Tier
Tool Access
This includes living in a
safe area away from threats.
This level is more likely to
be found in children as they
have a greater need to feel
safe
User Type
Physical needs are fundamental
for any success. I assume that if
an individual is involve in
utilizing a IPMS that their
physiological needs, food
clothing, shelter, are met and the
physical issues are related to a
need for access and permission
to the tools.
This level involves skills and
knowledge related to the
Understanding of Project
Management Knowledge Areas
and integration of the various
components.
It also involves a work
atmosphere where teams know
their roles and responsibilities
and the expectation of their
deliverables. They know which
reports are used to measure
project status and also how
individual performance is
monitored.
© 2007, David l. Davis, PMP
Originally published as a part of 2007 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Seattle
Discussion
In an IPMS, this means the
individual needs to have
access to the tool itself. Most
tools are hosted on a server
available to all members of
the team.
Access to the tool from the
PC
Is there high speed
connectivity to the tool.
Are they allowed behind the
firewall
Do they have the proper
browser settings (Active X
allowed, Java allowed, etc.)
Do they have a login to the
system
Appropriate permissions with
their user type.
Security
Personal data protected
Is their user profile
developed properly
Right type of user
Email and phone configured.
Do they have permission to
the right reports.
Training
User guide for the tool
User guide for the process.
6
Maslow’s Tier
Social (Love
and
Belongingness)
Needs
Esteem / Status
Self
Actualization
(Fulfillment)
Needs
Maslow Definition
Humans want to be accepted
and to belong, whether it be
to clubs, work groups,
religious groups, family,
gangs, etc. They need to feel
accepted by others.
Humans have a need to be
respected, to self-respect
and to respect others. People
need to engage themselves
in order to gain recognition
and have an activity or
activities that give the
person a sense of
contribution and self-value.
Self-Actualization is
described by Maslow as an
ongoing process involved in
a cause outside their own
skin. People on this level of
need, work at something
very precious. This is a
vocation or a calling in the
old priestly sense. These
people are very fine,
healthy, strong, sagacious
(that is, very smart) and
creative.
Program Management Tier
Team
This level is the social net for
project managers. It includes
acceptance of their role within
the organization and the ability
to be part of a team that delivers
value to the business.
Project Performance /
Assignment
This is a dangerous level for an
IPMS implementation as it deals
with the tender balance between
self-confidence and arrogance.
This level usually represents
assignments to high profile
projects and other mission
critical events that require
attention and reporting to
corporate executives.
Imbalances at this level can
result in low self-esteem,
inferiority complexes, an inflated
sense of self-importance or
snobbishness.
Expansion of IPMS into new
areas
This level is reserved for the true
IPMS application administration
junkie. This level involves
implementation of IPMS into
multiple organizations and
identification with the individual
with the tool.
© 2007, David l. Davis, PMP
Originally published as a part of 2007 PMI Global Congress Proceedings – Seattle
Discussion
Is there consistent
understanding of the process,
methodology, and deliverable
within the program for all
projects.
Do all individuals use the
capabilities of the IPMS to
stakeholders inside and
outside the Portfolio
Organization.
From an IPMS perspective,
this level involves creative
and innovative uses of the
IPMS tool and its capability
to control and execute
projects. It may involve
definition of new templates,
IPMS modules, reports, or
process. It might involve a
specialization of the tool for
the specific project being
tracked and reporting of
inter-dependant projects.
This role should be seen as a
mentor to other project
managers and other
organizations utilitarian an
IPMS tool.
This level involves the
process, people, and
technology evolution into
multiple organizations within
the enterprise. The
individual that reaches this
level understand Portfolio
Integration to the highest
level.
This level should be seen as
an evangelist for an IPMS.
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