21 Project Leadership Tips to Build a High-Performance Team

Published September 1, 2010 leadership , project management Leave a Comment
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  1. Ask your teammates about their goals for themselves and for the team.
    1. Agree on the goals
    2. Discuss what actions they intend to take
    3. Ask how you can help
    4. Schedule a follow-up meeting
    5. Do this quarterly
  2. Share your vision and focus with the team and facilitate a discussion.
    1. Agree on the objectives to meet the goal
    2. Define measures for performance
  3. At your quarterly meeting with each team member, ask how things are going.
    1. Listen and learn
    2. Always do what you say and say what you will do
    3. Follow-up… even if the answer is “no”
  4. Inventory your knowledge of each teammate. This will reap huge benefits when the stress related to due dates hits.
  5. Tell the hard workers that they are doing good work; share specific examples.
  6. Offer to coach people who need it and provide compassionate, honest feedback. Tell them what you see and what you think it means. Ask your teammates for a suggestion for new approaches.
  7. Remember people’s birthdays. Send them a note or a card.
  8. Write notes of appreciation for special contributions people make.
  9. Gather feedback from customers and share the comments with the team.
    1. Invite a customer into a team meeting for appreciation and dialogue.
  10. Delegate your leadership responsibilities with coaching and support.
  11. Remember that there are many ways to achieve a goal and the people you delegate to may do things differently than you would. If you are concerned, ask them about their thinking on it.
  12. Be kind to yourself and others.
  13. Avoid anger–forgive–understand–stick to your values.
  14. Develop your sense of humor—laugh, care, be considerate.
  15. Remember, ultimately every team member is responsible for themselves.
  16. Be clear on the kind of role model you want to be and do your best to be it. Your behavior impacts the team more than you know.
  17. Enjoy your work and look for ways to keep getting better.
  18. Appreciate your contribution to building people, teams, and service to customers and your organization.
  19. Keep working your vision; it tends to get clearer over time.
  20. Develop a confidant with whom you can test out your ideas, share your frustrations, and get support. A true friend also knows when and how to challenge your thinking.
  21. Take 15 minutes at the beginning or end of your day to review where you have been and where you want to go.

I hope these tips help you build a high-performance team. Let me know which ones worked best for you!

James L. Haner

Business Analysis Technique: Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria

Published August 30, 2010 Business Analysis Leave a Comment
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According to the BABOK® Guide, acceptance and evaluation criteria is one of the 16 required techniques in the fundamental knowledge base of an effective business analyst.   So let’s take a closer look at what this technique actually is and think about how we might apply it on our projects. 

Acceptance criteria
These define a minimal set of requirements that must be met in order for a solution or a solution component to be considered acceptable to its key stakeholders.   They are defined earl y in the project life cycle and must be met (pass or fail) in order to say that a solution is complete, correct and worth implementing.  Test cases are written that verify the solution against its defined and agreed-upon acceptance criteria.

Evaluation criteria 
These define a set of requirements used to choose between multiple solutions to a particular problem.  They are typically built to allow for scoring of the various solutions under consideration.  In order to evaluate potential solutions, this set of requirements is prioritized and ranked by order of importance.  The solutions will then be scored against the ranked set of requirements using a pre-established evaluation scale.  A ‘must have’ requirement that is not met by a proposed solution should remove that solution from consideration.

Elements of this technique include testability and an associated ranking/scoring scheme.  Testable is pretty straightforward – if you build a solution to meet the requirements, you better be able to prove it. Ranking looks at the requirements and their order of importance while scoring determines how well the resulting solution meets those requirements.

This technique focuses on the acceptability of a solution to its key stakeholders.  This includes internal solution users within the organization and external stakeholders such as the solution’s customers. Both acceptance and evaluation criteria may be tied to contractual obligations, which can introduce associated legal and political issues and risks into the project.

Well, that is our closer look at one of the 16 recommended techniques used by business analysts, acceptance and evaluation criteria.  Give a shout if you have another BABOK® technique you would like to explore in more detail!

Susan Weese

Successful Business Analysts: How They Avoid the Five Most Common BA Mistakes

Business analysts are increasingly becoming the critical liaisons between business and solution development (oftentimes IT), so they must communicate and relate with equal effectiveness throughout all levels of an organization. Download this free White Paper to see which five common obstacles business analysts face and how to address them to ensure success.

The Project Leader as a Servant Leader

Published August 25, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment

“Traditional autocratic and hierarchical modes of leadership are slowly yielding to a newer model—one that attempts to simultaneously enhance the personal growth of workers and improve quality and caring through a combination of teamwork and community, personal involvement in decision making, and ethical and caring behavior … called servant-leadership.”  

—Larry Spears, Reflections on Leadership

The project management world is changing and today’s project leader must raise the bar in both skill and character to succeed in delivering projects and building teams that produce value for the customer. One way to look at this change is to see the project leader as a servant leader . . . and do it in five steps.

  • Build on Strength: Allow each team member to contribute what he or she is best at. There are no weaknesses, just limitations that are not strengths—yet. This improves everyone’s performance and solidifies teams by aligning the strengths of many people.
  • Blaze the Trail: Turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones. Give them a fine reputation to live up to. These actions multiply the Serving Leader’s impact by activating tier after tier of leadership.
  • Raise the Bar: Establish high standards of performance. Build a culture of high performance.
  • Upend the Pyramid: Disregard conventional project management thinking. Put other people first. You are in charge to charge up others. Servant leaders put themselves at the bottom of the pyramid and unleash the energy, excitement, and talents of the team.
  • Run to Great Purpose: Hold out a big “reason why.” Strive to do the most possible good.

The Serving Leader avoids the common top-down hierarchical style by:

  • Emphasizing collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power
  • Providing what team members need to operate at peak performance
  • Considering the individuality and special needs of each team member
    • Making the most of abilities
    • Building motivation and morale
  • Being a servant first, making the conscious decision to lead
    • Leading because you want to serve better, not because you desire increased power

The objective of a project leader as a servant leader is to enhance the growth of team members on the project team and increase teamwork and personal involvement. Look for my next post where we look at 21 Project Leadership Tips to Build a High-Performance Team!

James Haner

Business Analysts, Which Side of the Fence are You From?

Published August 22, 2010 Business Analysis Leave a Comment
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One size does not fit all when it comes to the role of the business analyst!  Two important facts when it comes to performing business analysis work in an organization: (1) your job title does NOT always describe what you do and (2) job titles are like hats, and one person may wear many hats on a particular project.

Business analysts come with a plethora of job titles and skill sets.  If business analysis is walking the fence as a liaison between technology and the business, then folks who practice it can come from whichever side of that fence.  Few business analysts actually begin their careers as one, me included.  Some folks start on the technology side of the house, and often progress through more technical job titles such as systems analyst or requirements engineer.  Other folks start on the business or user side of the house and may have job titles such as process analyst or product owner.

The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA™) has a great model for understanding your business analysis skills and knowledge, and evaluating your strengths and weaknesses.  IT is a little more complex than my “what side of the fence are you from?” model. Access to this model is free for IIBA™ members, so have a look and see where you stand!

Their Business Analysis Competency Model, Version 2.0 takes a closer look at the role of the business analyst on today’s projects and initiatives.  This model classifies business analysts using three categories: generalist, specialist and hybrid.   The generalist role is effective across a wide range of techniques and able to adapt to a range of project circumstances.   The specialist role uses a limited set of business analysis techniques with great skill and expertise, often working on complex business problems.  The hybrid role combines business analysis competencies with other professions, such as project management or testing.

It’s always good to understand what makes for a successful business analyst.  It isn’t just knowing what tasks to do, it’s the behaviors you employ to execute those tasks that really makes the difference!

Serious project managers seeking to enhance their knowledge, skills and professional credibility target should consider sitting the IIBA™ Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP™) certification exam.  Learning Tree offers an excellent certification course for folks interested in becoming a CBAP™ along with an entire suite of courses devoted to mastering the skills of business analysis across the project and product life cycles of your organization.  

Susan Weese

QUT Worldwide PRINCE2 Research Project Report

Published August 14, 2010 PRINCE2 , project management Leave a Comment
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PRINCE2 is really getting a lot of much-deserved, positive press these days! There is an excellent report out from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia announcing their worldwide research project results. This research analyzes the impact of PRINCE2 on project performance. You can read more about it and download a copy of the report from http://www.prince-officialsite.com/home/News/QUT_research.asp.

Remember, a copy of the PRINCE2 method is required reference material in any project manager’s bookshelf!  The method is documented in the OGC publication “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2” which is officially published by TSO.  Serious project managers seeking to enhance their knowledge, skills and professional credibility target should consider PRINCE2 certification.  Learning Tree offers two excellent certification courses for folks interested in becoming a Certified Practitioner of PRINCE2 or simply starting with the Foundation Certification.    

Susan Weese

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Authors

Larry Barnard
Susan Weese
James L. Haner

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