August 16, 2017
Best Practices, Issues and Risks, Problem Statements, Project Management, Project Management Professional (PMP)
By Stephen Alfano, CSM
Who doesn’t have problems? Now, a real question: Is there a simple, surefire, and quick way to break problems down?
Answer: Problem statements.
A problem statement is basically a short, yet compelling description of an issue, or set of issues, that must be resolved. It’s used by problem-solvers of all stripes—from research scientists to project managers to postgraduate students—to drive an effort from beginning to end to ensure and validate an anticipated outcome (not a problem with a well-written problem statement!).
How do you write a problem statement?
I recommend carefully breaking the problem—and the undesirable world it lives in—into three basic components:
Of course, there’s a great deal of background detail and mitigating factors that must be condensed to create those three basic components. (We’re talking about scaling down a small mountain of data and accompanying data analysis into a couple of paragraphs.)
Truth be told, problem statements can be problematic. The input isn’t always neatly packaged. It often comes from structured and unstructured sources that need to be identified, categorized, prioritized and, in some cases, synthesized to establish the following:
Above all, problem statements require persistence and patience. Distilling and editing the content to be clear and concise takes rigorous work—and lots of practice using a tried and true template.
Below, you’ll find links to some of my favorite problem statement templates and best practices:
How do you think problem statements could help your project mitigate issues and achieve success?
About the Author: Stephen Alfano is an Organizational Change Management Consultant and Communications Expert. He has 30 years of experience leading and managing internal and external marketing initiatives for both private and public-sector clients. His résumé includes providing both new business and business process improvement services to Apple, American Express, AT&T, California Department of Transportation, Chevron, Entergy, Levi Strauss & Co., Louisiana Office of Tourism, Mattel, Microsoft, Novell, SONY, Sutter Health, and Wells Fargo. Stephen currently works as an Executive Consultant with KAI Partners, Inc., spearheading business development and leading the firm’s marketing and communications practice and line of business.
May 10, 2017
Best Practices, Issues and Risks, Project Management, Risk Assessment
By Stephen Alfano, CSM
Full disclosure, I made three assumptions before I wrote this blog post:
If you are still reading this blog post (thank you!), you probably figured out my stratagem quickly and decided to chalk it up to a level-setting parlor trick used to underscore the “tricky” nature of assumptions. (You saw what I did: That statement is an assumption.) So, let’s move on, starting with an official, textbook definition of an assumption.
An assumption is, “a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.” Of course, how would you know this definition is the definition you seek? How could you be sure it comes from a legitimate and “official” source? (Tricky, right?) In short, an assumption needs to be validated.
For more insight on validating assumptions, check out these links below:
ASSUMPTIONS ARE MADE TO BE VALIDATED via Leading Agile
The Need to Validate Project Assumptionss via Business 2 Community
5 Tips to Make Sure You Are Validating Early and Often via Kissmetrics
Case Study: Using the 5 Whys to Validate Assumptions via iSixSigma
Identifying and Validating Assumptions and Mitigating Biases in User Research via UX Matters
Build Better Products: How to Identify and Validate Assumptions via Users Know / SlideShare
Now it’s your turn—what are some of your best practices to validate assumptions and reduce risk on your projects? Or, what other trouble spots does your project have—we’d love to cover some mitigation techniques in a future blog post!
About the Author: Stephen Alfano is Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM), Organizational Change Management Consultant and Communications Expert. He has 30 years of experience leading and managing internal and external program initiatives for both private and public-sector clients. His résumé includes providing both new business and business process improvement services to Apple, American Express, AT&T, California Department of Transportation, Chevron, Entergy, Levi Strauss & Co., Louisiana Office of Tourism, Mattel, Microsoft, Novell, SONY, Sutter Health, and Wells Fargo. Stephen currently works as Marketing and Communications Manager for KAI Partners, Inc., spearheading business development and leading the firm’s marketing and communications practice and line of business.
March 15, 2017
Business Analysis, Issues and Risks, KAI Partners, Project Management, Project Management Professional (PMP)
By Guest Blogger Tony Oliver, Penny Wise Consulting Group
This blog post first appeared on the Penny Wise Consulting Group’s blog and was posted here with permission. The original post can be found here.
Ah, flying. The friendly skies. The luxury aboard the plane. The jet-set and the glamour. All gone.
Nowadays, few experiences elicit the same sort of hatred as commercial aviation. Beyond the vitriol, the stale pretzels, and the harsh treatment from flight attendants, though, there are many project management tactics at play.
According to USA Today, an average day has 1,000 commercial flights over the U.S., mostly distributed across the major ~9 domestic airlines. Major carriers like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines each boast over 200 regularly-scheduled segments, each replete with its own challenges and intricacies.
Despite the obvious similarities (fly a large metal bird from point A to point B), each flight should be seen as a stand-alone project. Though it may be regularly-scheduled and often repeated daily, each one represents a specific, time-boxed instance.
While it does share various elements with its predecessors and successors (such as origin, destination, expected route, etc.) it is very much a different iteration every day. Much like publishing a daily newspaper, a monthly newsmagazine, or hosting a yearly event like the Super Bowl or the Oscars, the blueprint may exist, but its execution may be wholly different. Here’s how:
Even if your next flight is for pleasure, keep your “project manager hat” on and count the many instances of project management. Like hidden Mickeys scattered throughout Disney World, you will be amazed at how much is in plain view when you are really looking for it!
About the Author: Tony Oliver is a project manager by trade, a marketing guru by profession, and a lifelong learner from birth. His best trait is an inquisitive mind, which drives his desire to understand not just the “what” but also the “how” and more importantly, the “why” and “why not?” Tony is experienced in supply, pricing, demand, and consumption analysis and holds an MBA in marketing from a top 20 school (UNC Chapel Hill) and an undergraduate English Literature degree from Georgetown University. With 15+ years of experience with Intel and Cisco, Tony is fully bilingual (English, Spanish) with a working knowledge of French, as well as a seasoned public speaker and instructor of Project Management and Presentation Skills courses.
December 8, 2016
Best Practices, Issues and Risks, Project Management
By Guest Blogger Tony Oliver, Penny Wise Consulting Group
This blog post first appeared on the Penny Wise Consulting Group’s blog and was posted here with permission. The original post can be found here.
Postmodernist Paul Virilio said, “When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck.” This illustrates not sadism, fatalism, or pessimism, but rather a grasp of how technology can bring unintended consequences.
For example, as the debate over autonomous cars rages on, we run the risk of compartmentalizing technology into a fantasy “perfect world” in which nothing goes wrong. Most advances tend to be imperfect and improve upon successive iterations. However, inventors should at the very least ponder on the possible implications of their inventions, especially if they wish to bring them to market. While the aluminum can “pull-tab” (yes, I am old enough to remember these) eliminated the need for a can opener, it brought an increase in litter, and typically, finger cuts.
But, why does this matter to you, if you are not an inventor? First, it helps to remember the origin of the phrase “Devil’s advocate.” To many, it is a synonym for a “Debbie Downer” or someone who wishes to rain on a parade. To the Catholic Church, it is an important role when determining someone’s sainthood. The “Devil’s advocate” is tasked with poking holes in the canonization argument, in order to ensure that everything has been considered or vetted.
As project managers, we have to be careful not to look at things with rose-tinted glasses. Often, this means a long, hard look at risks, which is not a pleasant discussion with the customer. Creating a risk register should not be seen as a necessary evil, but rather as an important exercise for the entire team to brainstorm, collaborate, and prepare for a successful release.
Below are my tips on how to identify and address risks to help make sure you consider and vet all possible outcomes.
In the end, some risks are unavoidable, but avoiding risk analysis is not. How do you analyze and mitigate risks on your projects?
About the Author: Tony Oliver is a project manager by trade, a marketing guru by profession, and a lifelong learner from birth. His best trait is an inquisitive mind, which drives his desire to understand not just the “what” but also the “how” and more importantly, the “why” and “why not?” Tony is experienced in supply, pricing, demand, and consumption analysis and holds an MBA in marketing from a top 20 school (UNC Chapel Hill) and an undergraduate English Literature degree from Georgetown University. With 15+ years of experience with Intel and Cisco, Tony is fully bilingual (English, Spanish) with a working knowledge of French, as well as a seasoned public speaker and instructor of Project Management and Presentation Skills courses.