Category Archives: Observations

Event Management, Observations, project benefits being realised, Project Management War Stories, Project planning, Stakeholders

Event Management – the Project Management underdog

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Event Management is a complex field and is often overlooked by the traditional sense of Project Management due to its relaxed approach to structured delivery. However this is a misconception, as with all project managers – we all approach things differently! Events can be fairly straightforward pieces of work for training weekends and new product launches etc but the rise of large scale events such as festivals and industry conferences demanding a structured approach to presenting a business case, planning, resource management, risk & issue management, change control, reporting and stakeholder management. The role that was once deemed a “write requirements on the back of a cigarette packet” has had to change its ways, especially as even large scale festivals have had to cancel due to lack of interest – wasting time and resources. A failure in the research element could be put to blame here as the market has been flooded by such events – a huge revenue earner but only deeming real success when big names in music are headlining, and with so many to choose from naturally the greater band lists attract the majority.

Such pressures mean that events which are running need to go without a hitch – bad press for chaotic amenities and cancelled acts can damage future ticket sales.

Event Management

Here’s a word cloud taking in some of the considerations for Event Management, now that is a project plan I wouldn’t want to manage – certainly testing the length of any Excel spreadsheet and the patience of an Event PM.

The Event Project Manager, not such an underdog after all – expert Planner, Benefits Manager, and Stakeholder Specialist a great big must!

Change, Change Management, Observations, Project Management

Are Project Managers Change Managers?

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Interesting talking to a number of contractors recently – some preferring to be referred to as Change Managers as opposed to Project Managers and vice versa – when I pushed back and asked why the need to define, I had a mixed response:

“As a Project Manager I deliver change”

“I am a Change Manager but I deliver as a project”

I wonder if being branded one or the other has a psychological effect of the individual. Back in the day when budgets were less frugal and organisations saw the value of a fully enhanced team, it was not uncommon to see a Project Manager Working alongside a Change Manager – this is still apparent in larger organisations but less so across the board. And I wonder if Change Managers partially feel compelled to sell their service as all encompassing (they can deliver a project as well as the change element) to be included in the running for more PM positions and likewise a Project Manager feels the need to sell their additional skill-set as change management aware in order to deliver as smoothly as possible. I delivered new products into manufacturing across EU/SA/USA and often found that without the sympathetic element of change management I would indeed find workstream leads to be challenging at the best of times. By simply spending time to explain the benefits of prioritising my projects and listening to any concerns, hopefully dispelling any anxiety rather than the company prescribed “Head Office said do it, so DO IT” approach which tended to get peoples backs up – unsurprisingly! It is this experience that lead me on to embrace change management within my practice – as such I feel I have taken on both the roles of PM and CM. Could I split the two now, good question, I am not sure they should be. Do I believe a dedicated Change Manager should be part of the project team? Depends on the size and complexity of the project really, if you have the budget and a great deal of “users” affected by the implementation then it is a good idea.Changing times

Some things to consider when delivering change:

  • Be open – sometimes it isn’t always possible to be completely open from the outset as the changes may be sensitive and not in the public domain. But it is important to make sure you are as open as you can be from the start. Explain that changes are afoot, what this means to the individual, and generally prepare people.
  • Listen – hard when all you may be hearing is peoples woes about additional work, fear of job losses, attitudes such as “we’ve done it this way for xx years, if it’s not broken then don’t fix it”, but everyone deserves to air their views and will it make for a happier recipient environment if they all feel they have had some input.
  • Put yourself in their shoes – take a look at the changes from the user’s perspective – try to explain the benefits in a manner which is understandable and actually means something to the individual.
  • Structure – put together a strong communication plan, as you would for key stakeholders, think about the users and those directly affected by the change. Regular meetings and updates – even regular posting on the intranet so everyone feels like they are being kept up to speed.
  • Bribes – don’t be afraid to bring cakes to the meetings, many a successful meeting has been satisfactorily managed through a little nurture!

I mentioned “individual” above, this is where a lot fall short when delivering change, try not to think of a group make people feel like they have been heard individually. It makes a huge difference when you can have your say and your questions answered; open door policy for all – you won’t be as inundated as you think and some may have very valid points for consideration. 

Careers Advice, Graduates, guest blogger, management advice, Observations

What On Earth Is Talent Communication?

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A phrase that may not be that familiar to you is something you’ll need to get to know if you’re going to get the right people to join your business and see you developing into the future. In order to find the right people, you need to know about their talents. To get their talents to join forces with your own, you need to communicate with them. Talent communication puts you in touch with the people who could be the next generation of employees and executives in your organisation.

Depending on how early you want to target future talent, there are different ways in which you can communicate to get them thinking about your organisation when they’re looking for a place to work. The type of individuals you’re looking to attract will also make a difference to the way in which you put your message across.

Getting in early

One way in which organisations large and small have historically attracted some of the top talent in the country is by joining the Milk Round of recruitment fairs at top universities to put them in touch with box-fresh graduates looking for work in the best companies in the UK and beyond. However, some organisations are looking to get in even earlier in order to secure the most talented young minds and direct them towards study and development that will best suit them for a career in that company.

Big hitter

Some international big hitters are now turning to agencies to help them gain insights into targeting future talent before they leave school and move on to further studies. Careers advice services are crying out for ways to better engage with young people as they decide what they want to do with their lives and companies who are able to offer something that’s compelling and helps teachers and advisers to better support young people at this vital stage is greatly welcomed.

Finding the right way to approach and communicate with children and young people is tricky. As a demographic group, they are rapidly changing and using more and more different modes of communication which can make it difficult to keep up. Finding the right language that resonates with children and young people can be a challenge, so it helps to work with specialists in the field of communication with this group to get the most out of your efforts.

Getting the big hitters

While it makes good sense to appeal to future employees early and build your brand image in the minds of young people, this doesn’t stop the need to recruit the best people later in their careers. No amount of graduate recruitment and succession planning will fill all the gaps in your teams and when it comes to going out to find the right people for your vacancies it helps to have a clear strategy.

Big Hitter

As budgets get tighter and the impetus to find the best quality people grows, making sure that you’re targeting your communications at just the right groups is increasingly important. Just putting an ad in the newspaper isn’t enough if you want to get the best; a well-rounded strategy that takes in placing articles in key industry publications to build reputation and brand recognition and covers the growing importance of social media marketing will make sure your hard-pressed recruitment budget comes up with the goods.

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking to attract talented young people embarking on the first steps of their careers or fill vacancies at the highest level of your organisation, seeking advice to develop a carefully targeted communication strategy will pay dividends in terms of finding the right people and building their appetite to join your team.

Written by Nathan Griffiths who recommends http://www.saslondon.com for tips on talent communication.

Business Networking, Change, guest blogger, News, Observations

The Rise Of The Female Tech Entrepreneur

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Women have always appeared in the Fortune 500 rich list here and there, but it’s only recently that their roles have become newsworthy – mainly thanks to two powerful women taking top jobs at the world’s biggest tech brands. As these companies become more powerful on a global scale, the actions of their CEOs come under scrutiny on a daily basis; if the CEO happens to be female, you can practically guarantee a news story will follow.

In this article, we’ll look at four female entrepreneurs that have climbed the ranks to positions of power.

First, there’s Sheryl Sandberg, the woman who assists CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook. Sandberg is an ex-US government employee and was previously a high flyer at Google before becoming the first woman on Facebook’s board. Her official title is chief operating officer, and she appears regularly in the press.

Women in BusinessSandberg is a vocal believer in women’s ability to graduate towards senior roles in business, and her book Lean In is dedicated to discussing the topic. She extensively analyses the possible reasons for women holding back in the workplace. She also believes women should be comfortable in their own skin, particularly in a corporate environment, and is keen to promote equality at work and in the home.

Ursula Burns has served exactly three years as CEO of Xerox and has been tasked with the modernisation of the brand – no mean feat for a company that was founded more than a century ago. Her appointment is notable in the US: she was the first ever woman of colour to be in charge of an enterprise as massive as Xerox, and she is in the top 20 most powerful women on the planet.

On the company’s homepage, Burns says she values “ethical business practices”, and openly criticises organisations she believes to be sexist or discriminatory. It is estimated that she earned a cool $9.9 million last year, and her 2011 salary was comparable.

Marissa Meyer is perhaps the best-known example of a female CEO hitting the headlines. Now in charge of Yahoo!, Meyer started her working life at Google when the company was just starting out. Her speciality was A.I., and she quickly rose through the ranks to become Vice President of Search Products and User Experience.

Since 2012, Meyer has lead Yahoo! through a turbulent transition period. Rejecting extensive maternity leave, Meyer has banned employees from home working, although she herself worked from home towards the end of her pregnancy and paid to have a nursery built next to her corporate office. Despite ruffling feathers, she is determined to forge ahead with major changes.

With a background working in top jobs for The Walt Disney Company and eBay, and holding qualifications from Princeton and Harvard, Meg Whitman was well-placed to become CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Overall, Whitman is thought to be worth $1.3 billion; she spent $144 million on her campaign to become Governor of California three years ago. She lost.

Whitman has worked with some of the biggest names in the US, counting Steve Ballmer and Mitt Romney among former colleagues. At eBay, she was criticised for purchasing Skype, but that didn’t prevent HP from poaching her in 2011. Whitman is perhaps the most established high-profile CEO in the Fortune 500 list.

Sam Wright is a freelance writer working with prweekjobs.co.uk.