Making Organizational Change Work

[Contact Us](mailto:contactus@projectmanagement.com) [About Us]( [Update Profile]( July 25, 2018 Remember this: Culture is everything! As our month-long theme continues, we also feel out corporate culture, look into your sustainability options and help you strategize a digital transformation. Plus: elegant risk, and a look at what they don't tell you in training. The Knowledge Shelf explores similarities between process and project management, while our Topic Teasers impart easy agile additions. Our blogs share how risk is more than a slogan—and implore you not to be a PM lemming. And readers ask for help with career options and finding a good boss in our forums! Advertisement [WEBINAR: Strategic Planning like a Pro]( Whether it's your first or forty-first strategic planning session, you'll want to be as productive as possible and deliver strong outcomes. Join us as Chuck Frey explains how to run incredible strategy sessions like a veteran. [Register for this free webinar here.]( "When you're good at something, you'll tell everyone. When you're great at something, they'll tell you." - Walter Payton []PM HEADLINES [Culture is Everything: Forget Everything Else]( Culture is the single most essential and fundamental ingredient to making organizational change work. And it is in the implementation of project management that we most often get this fact completely, utterly, desperately wrong. [Corporate Culture: It’s a 'Feeling']( Corporate culture is both difficult to define and even more challenging to change. There are theories that organizational culture shouldn’t be a management priority. This practitioner respectfully disagrees. [Your Sustainability Opportunity as a PM]( You might feel that sustainability decisions for your organization are largely out of your hands. Don’t get discouraged—there are practical steps you can take. [What They Don't Tell You in Training...]( Ask any project manager about the training they got on PM skills, and chances are they’ll tell you it left a lot to be desired. That’s not because the training was bad, just that it doesn’t always work that way in the real world. [Elegant Risk: Suit up with a Bow Tie!]( Frustrated with qualitative analysis? Annoyed with all of those boring columns? The bow-tie method can help you better understand issues and risks. [Digital Transformation: Strategies to Transform Organizations]( To stay ahead of emerging competition and expand their customer base, established organizations are embarking upon digital transformation. The challenge lies in changing existing lines of business and aligning organizational culture. This article shares transformation strategies for a process-mature organization. "Life is too short not to have pasta, steak and butter." - Iman SPONSORED ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS 5 Signs You Need to Reinvent Your PMO Many organizations have an established Project Management Office (PMO), but it is no longer providing significant value to its project teams. [Download this white paper]( to discover five signs it may be time to reinvent your PMO and how you can ensure its success with the right mix of people, processes and tools. [OMB Issues Implementation Guidance for PMIAA]( Project and program management within the U.S. federal government recently took a major step forward as the U.S. Office Management and Budget (OMB) issued the initial implementation guidance for the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act of 2015 (PMIAA). []KNOWLEDGE SHELF [Process and Project Management: Complementary Disciplines]( Project and process management are two disciplines used by organizations to advance the work of delivering value to customers, clients and patients. While there are a few differences between the two, there are many similarities that can be used for best practice sharing, enabling the organization to meet customer and business objectives. The mission of [Knowledge Shelf]( is to help project professionals advance our practice by sharing their experiences and viewpoints. It is comprised of practitioners from a wide range of fields, covering both popular and niche topics. From lessons learned and case studies to opinion pieces and articles, this platform gives a voice to peers new to our online community, and allows for longer form contributions. For more information on how to submit your own article, please see our [Editorial Guidelines](. []TOPIC TEASERS Welcome to Topic Teasers, which tests your managerial prowess! In Vol. 109, we explore the [Easiest Agile Additions to Waterfall Teams](: Question: I’m almost too busy to even ask this question, but the newest A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) is wanting me to add agile to my projects. It’s not that I don’t want better outcomes, it’s just that I can’t totally retool everything my team does. Even if I wanted to do it, the time it would take for upper management to agree would be a deal breaker. Is there anything fast and easy I could do on my own? A. Too much emphasis has been placed on which processes are the best. The truth is that it is the people on the project who account for its success or failure. Educate your team about the various types of agile and waterfall options, not just scrum and the traditional method. They will know best which approach will be the most successful in your organization. B. For projects that must be completed quickly, there is a new methodology called “tactile.” It is a combination of the terms “traditional” and “agile,” and refers to a process where whether developing tangible items or producing code-based deliverables, everyone involved must sit in a line. The actual product moves from person to person in an assembly-line fashion, and each adds his or her own special skill or part to the item. C. It is a mistaken assumption that to use agile requires a major cultural shift instigated by the CEO. There are many small changes you, as the project manager, could make to more traditional teams without any approval or sanction from upper management. And more importantly, these minor alterations could actually help you be even more successful, even though you keep your current ways of doing projects. D. Look at the latest stakeholder report for your organization. If it shows an increase in profit from last year at this time, do not change anything in the way you lead projects. Every company is in a competition for marketplace dollars, and if you alter your processes you could be the reason for a declining statistic next quarter. Check the answer [here](, and [send in your own question for consideration]( []THE PM POLL Is there a question you've been itching to ask? [Create a poll]( today to get some PM help from your peers! [Q: What was your first position in the project field?]( - Project admin/coordinator - Business analyst - Technology relevant position - Engineering relevant position - Business administrator - Project manager TRAINING SPOTLIGHT We are the Project Management Success Center. 'PMP® Certification' is only the beginning - partner with us on large 'IT Project Implementations' by joining the group of passionate 'PMP® Professionals' on a Mission to Deliver Value to our Clients. [Learn More]( [Search for your solution on our Training Finder]( []BLOG IT Voices on Project Management by Dave Wakeman The ultimate consideration project professionals need to keep in mind is that [We’re in a People Business](. In the long run, the person with the best people skills often has an advantage. But what does that really mean? The Money Files by Elizabeth Harrin Do you use collaboration tools on your projects? Our blogger recently did a webinar for our community on her book. [Collaboration Tools for Project Managers: Q&A (Part 1)]( continues the conversation. Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice by Kiron Bondale We know that uncertainty and unrealistic expectations are as much a part of the DNA of projects as they are stock markets. So how can you help your team avoid a “fight or flight” response? [Don't Be a Project Management Lemming!]( PM Marginalia by Konstantin Ryzhkov Is leadership a quality or a skill? If we consider something a skill, then we can talk about three important components: how we learn it, how we apply it and what advantages it gives. Our blogger shares more about [Technical Leadership](. The Risky Business of Today's PM by Greg Lewis Risk is a concept and an operation that requires more than lip service in today’s financial industries. It’s a combination of first-line defenses and strategy to prevent, identify and protect customers, resources, assets and organizations that balance profit with risk appetite. Read why [Risk Management is More than a Slogan!]( Game Theory in Management by Michael Hatfield In last week’s post, Michael discussed the tactics employed by epic villains who take down their host organizations (from their point of view). This week, he explores how to counteract these villains with [Epic Responses](, which requires a James Bond-like hero (just in the PM realm). PM Nerd by Kevin Raney The latest chapter in Kevin's studies focuses on [Requirements Elicitation and Analysis](. At first glance, he thought it was going to be straightforward; but he quickly found out there is a lot of depth and complexity to the subjects. People, Planet, Profits & Projects by Richard Maltzman Rich’s recent entry—[Flapping Fowl Face Phenological Phasing Fatalities](—is a tongue-twister. It is brought to you by Branta leucopsis—a species of bird commonly known as the barnacle goose. And although his entry will be migration and climate, it will have a project management angle! PM View from Rail Transit Programs & Projects by Henry Hattenrath A construction manager was surprised to learn that he was responsible for construction risk. He indicated that something must be wrong because the risk should be with the contractor or the EOR. Unfortunately, this thinking is a common belief of several CMs—and it could not be further from the truth. Henry shares more in his [latest entry](. []Q & A Did you know that help is just a click away? Our discussion forums give you access to the ProjectManagement.com community: more than 500,000 experienced minds and growing! Ask your question today or stop by to help out other members in need of advice, including these recent and ongoing discussions on... [Career Options]( "I am about to finish my contract in the Active Duty Army...what options will have a career wise with my education? I am a little nervous not having experience in any of these fields that I have graduate education in." [Go Your Own Way]( "How does one get started as a PM consultant or with freelance work?" [The Good Boss]( "Some people are lucky to have a good boss that would tremendously help their career. How can we find a good boss? I would like to hear some ideas." [Post-mortems?]( "Do you conduct a post-mortem meeting? What are the benefits that you found? Does it impact your upcoming projects as regular 'lessons learned'?" [Most Common Risks]( "What are the three most common project management risks?" [Clueless?]( "What do you do when you don't know what to do? I am just wondering how others handle uncertainty, lack of knowledge on a subject, or a hard-to-research problem." "To be a true artist you have to play the way you feel - not the way others think you should feel." - Don Ellis []PM ON DEMAND Did you know that we have an extensive library of PDU-earning webinars? Here's just one of the latest valuable offerings you can check out... [What Can Soccer Teach Us About Project Management?]( With the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup™, we were once again surrounded by world-class soccer. What can the beautiful game teach us about the profession we've all dedicated our lives to? As always, your feedback and suggestions are welcome. How can we make your experience better? Is there something you haven't been able to find? 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