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Stakeholders Posts

Grapevines and Rumor Mills – Assets or Liabilities?

Posted: November 30th, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »

SecretCommunications is, of course, the single biggest indicator of project success or failure.  As project managers, we have to think about all aspects of communications, including how much, to whom, in what format, etc.  We also get pretty savvy at knowing which communication channels to use.

A lot of project work gets done through informal, undocumented communication channels.  This is not only OK, it’s actually necessary.  Imagine if every conversation or information gathering effort we conducted required a documented plan.  The fact is a lot of good data can be mined from the water cooler and coffee klatch gatherings.

Continue Reading: Grapevines and Rumor Mills – Assets or Liabilities?

Who Owns Project Success or Failure?

Posted: October 18th, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »

TeamRecently, a project management colleague was expressing frustration with her inability to get a project moving in a constructive direction. She commented that she knew the success of the project was her responsibility, but she felt hamstrung in her ability to get what she needed from people.  Even simple requests for information from external stakeholders went unanswered and resulted in project inertia.

I hear this from project managers on a regular basis and it always brings me back to one of the truisms in project management: The project manager is responsible for project success. 

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Hockey Players and Project Managers: Just Trying to Win

Posted: September 6th, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. 1 Comment »

Boy_with_Hockey_StickMy son’s hockey team won their last tournament of the summer season this past weekend.  As the athletes came into the lobby from the locker room, everyone cheered, recognizing each individual contribution.  Another mom made a comment out loud that many of us hockey parents think just about every time we see them come out of the locker room: “They’re so little!”

It’s truly amazing to see 9-year-olds play hockey at the level that this team plays.  They skate on the ice as though they’re dancing on pavement.  They handle a stick with astounding skill.  They move the puck up and down the ice with agility that sometimes takes my breath away. 

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Turning Requirements Trash into Stakeholder Treasure – Part 2

Posted: August 23rd, 2011 by Bob Prentiss. Comments »

Treasure_ChestHello all – BobtheBA here and when we last left off we were exploring how innovation can be key to turning requirements trash into stakeholder treasure. The scenario we were exploring was a difficult stakeholder that was not forthcoming with their requirements. Your job (should you choose to accept it) was to improve your 1:1 interview process through innovation by looking at it through different eyes like those of a hostage negotiator. It may yield a different result or help you to be more prepared than what you thought possible.

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Relationships Span the Chasm

Posted: June 7th, 2011 by RichLarson. Comments »

I recently heard on NPR a doctor named David Loxtercamp, author of “A Measure of Days: The Journal of a Country Doctor.” He described his views of the medical profession, and sounded like a wise and thoughtful physician.

During his interview, he read some of his pearls of wisdom, one of which really resonated with me. He was talking about patients and their doctors, but I think it could be applied to any profession in which practitioners must understand the needs or “pain” of its patients, clients, customers, etc.

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Toss Negativity into the Trash with Ritual Cleansing

Posted: April 12th, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »

Can't_Do_CanDo you remember the last time something bothered you so much that you couldn’t get it out of your head?  A troublesome thought can consume you and preclude you from thinking of anything else.  It becomes paralyzing.

One way to resolve persistent, negative thoughts is to do something to symbolize the elimination of the source of the negative thought and associated negative energy.  For example, you might write down your thought on a piece of paper and then tear it up or burn it to symbolize the destruction of what’s troubling you.  Psychologists call it ritual cleansing.

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On day 1, we look great. It’s day 2 that kills us!

Posted: March 22nd, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »

In_a_hurry!I heard this from a project team member in a training class recently.  He was referring to the schedules for the projects he works on.  What he was getting at was that the team really doesn’t have a chance from the get-go.  They are behind on projects before they even begin, and it doesn’t take long for that to be evident.

Why do we do this to ourselves? 

Project managers know they should be getting input from the team on planning and the estimates for their work.  And they often do.  It’s what happens after that that’s problematic – namely, the input is ignored.

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Influencing takes Patience, Planning, and Perspective

Posted: March 1st, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »

Patience_Planning_PerspectiveThe ability to influence without authority is a skill coveted by any project manager. Even if a project manager has complete authority over project team members (which is seldom the case), there are still other stakeholders over whom they have no control and who need to make decisions, review or approve deliverables, or provide resources for the project.

It’s the crux of our job, really, to get people to do things for the benefit of the project.

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Body Language: Social Skill and Powerful Tool for Success

Posted: September 10th, 2010 by Bob Prentiss. Comments »

Hello – BobtheBA here!  Have you ever wondered why someone would be looking you directly in the eye one minute and then suddenly turn away?  Did they lose interest in what you were saying?  Had they made up their mind already?  Perhaps and perhaps not…  It may be that culturally they believe it is a sign of disrespect to look you in the eye.  Then again, they may be getting ready to tell you a whopper of a lie!  Perhaps they are just naturally submissive to authority figures.  Body language – it does a body good to know how to read it and use it.

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Increasing Chances for Sponsorship Success

Posted: September 2nd, 2010 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »

Of all the things that threaten project success, poor or non-existent sponsorship is at or near the top of the list.  No sponsor?  No project. 

Below are three keys for increasing chances for sponsorship success in your organization:

1. Show small successes.  You’d probably like to see huge, sweeping change in this area, but let’s be realistic.  Our organizations and sponsor-level folks simply don’t have the bandwidth for that.  Our best bet may be to think small.  In fact, create an experiment that you can use to slowly, organically grow the idea of sponsorship in your organization.  

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