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8/14/2019 Gargiulo Stories and Project Management
1/6
PROJECTMANAGEMENT&STORIESBy
Camper
Bull,
Founding
Partner
&
Principle
Armiger
International
&
Terrence
Gargiulo,
President,
MAKINGSTORIES.netProjectsaredevoidofmeaningwithouttheongoingroleofsensemaking.Letmestartbytellingyou
astory
Agroupoftopnotchprojectmanagerslikeyouclimbedamountain.Afterarigorousdayof
hikingallday,theteamsobjectivesofreachingthesummithadbeenmetwithflyingcolors.
Everymilestonehitandeverycriticalsuccessfactorpointingtoacompletesuccess.After
adequatecelebrationandthefilingoftheallclosureartifactswiththeProjectManagement
Officeitwastimetogetoffthemountain.Withthesunsettingfastpeoplebegantolookfor
thepath
leading
down
the
mountain.
Confusion
engulfed
our
team
of
mighty
adventurers.
No
onehadanyideaofwhatpathtotakeandinternalinfightingthreatenedtowreakcomplete
havocontheteamuntiloneoftheteammemberspulledamapfromtheirbackpack.Chaos
wasreplacedwithacalmresolveaplanworthyofthehighestpraisefromeventheProject
ManagementInstitute.Theteammadeitswaydownthemountainandwhenthesunrosethe
nextdaypeopleglancedatthemaponlytorealizeitwasntamapofthemountain.
Soundfamiliar?Themapwasavehicleofsensemaking.Whetheritwasrightorwrongwas
inconsequential(atleastinourstory).Themapgavepeopleasenseofpurpose,direction,andaction
tiedtothemap.Everyonewasonthesamepage.Themapisametaphorforstories.Accordingto
authorand
President
of
MAKINGSTORIES.net
Terrence
Gargiulo,
stories
are
fundamental
to
how
we
communicate,learnandthink.Storiesarehowwemakesenseofwhatishappeningaroundus.We
cannotdivorceourselvesfromlookingforpatterns.Wearepatternmachines.Storiesarethe
languageweusetoarticulateandguideouractions.
Storiescanplayacentralroleinprojectmanagement.Forthesakeofthisarticle,considerstoriesina
muchbroaderlightthanyoumaybeaccustomedtothinkof.Storiesdonotneedtobetoldand
storiesdonotneedtohaveHollywoodperfectlycraftedbeginning,middle,andends.Inthisarticle
wetakealookatsomeofthewaysstoriescanbeusedtomanageyourprojectstosuccess.
InthisthreepartarticlewellwalkthroughthePMBOKprocessgroupsandidentifywhereandhow
storiesfit.
This
article
assumes
you
are
acquainted
with
these
process
groups
(Initiating,
Planning,
Executing,Monitoring/Controlling,Closing).
InitiationPhaseProjectsarethevisionofasolutiontoaproblem.Storiesdrivevisions.Thestorieswecollectfrom
constituentsinneedofasolution,helpsustoenvisionaproject.Whenweelicitpeoplesdaytoday
experiencesorideasofthefutureweareworkingwithstories.Descriptionsandfactspaintaslow
cumbersomepicturewroughtwiththeseductionofrationalcertaintywhilebeingriddledwithblind
8/14/2019 Gargiulo Stories and Project Management
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2009,ArmigerInternational&MAKINGSTORIES.net,CamperBull&TerrenceGargiulo,Allrightsreserved 2
spots.Grantedthefactsanddetailsgiveusthecrucialdatatosupportourrecommendations.
However,ifwecollectonlyfactsourpicturewillbeincomplete.Itsunlikelywellbeableto
collaborativelycraftasolutionthataddressestherootoftheproblem.
Wecangettotheheartoftheproblemquickerwhenwegetpeopletospeakabouttheir
experiences.Peoplesexperiencesarestoredintheirmindsasstories.Themorewehelppeople
sharetherichnessoftheirexperiencesintheformofnarratives,thebetterourunderstandingwillbe
oftheproblemdomain.
Sohowdoyoutellthedifferencebetweensomeoneofferinganexplanationordescriptionandthe
richerformofcommunicationofferedbystories?
Herearefewguidingquestionstogetyoustarted:
1. Aretheyspeakingfromtheirpersonalexperiencesoraretheyspeakingingeneralterms?2. Aretherelittletangentsinwhattheyshare?Listenfordescriptiveelements,elaborationof
ancillarydetails
that
paint
amore
vivid
picture,
editorial
comments,
references
to
other
experiences,theuseofanalogies,metaphors,perhapsevenjokestoillustratetheir
descriptions.
3. Doyoudetectanyemotion?Thiswillvaryfrompersontoperson.Itmaybesubtlebutifpeoplearetellingyouastoryyouwillnoticenuancesofemotions?
4. Whatsyourlevelofengagementasalistener?Storiesengageusinactivelistening.Wearenotfightingofftheincessantstreamingdistractionsofourmindsorthedesiretospeak
ourmind.
Remembertoadjustyourexpectationofwhatconstitutesastory.Lookforthreadsandfragmentsof
stories.Thesecanbeveryshortandsandwichedinbetweencommonformsofcommunication.
Youwillusethestoriesyoucollecttopiecetogetheratapestryofunderstanding.Asyouscanthe
storiesyouwillbegintoobservepatternsofmeaning.Likenthiscrisscrossingintersectionofpatterns
andmeaningstoacomputernetworkwithnodes.Thinkofitasanetworkofmeaning.Insightdoes
notsitinonenodeofthenetworkoronestory.Somestoriesarestrongerthanothers,attracting
weakerorisolatednodesofmeanings.Thesestrongerstorieswillnaturallyfacilitateyourprojection
ofmeaning.Usethemtohelpyouconnectotherstoriestothem.Thisisacircularprocess.Onceyou
generateamapoftheterrainyoucannotstopthere.LiketheProjectManagementcycleofPlanning
Executing/Controllingand
Planning
sense
making
never
ends.
Like
adetective,
as
you
add
more
clues
youredrawyourmap;afterallnotjustanymapwillgetyouoffthemountain.
8/14/2019 Gargiulo Stories and Project Management
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2009,ArmigerInternational&MAKINGSTORIES.net,CamperBull&TerrenceGargiulo,Allrightsreserved 3
AlmostanyaspectofcollectingtheinformationfortheProjectCharteristouchedbystorybased
communications.Forthesakeofthisarticleletsfocusonthree:
1. StakeholderAnalysis2. InitialProjectScope3. SellingtheProjectCharter
StakeholderAnalysisStakeholderswillmakeorbreakthesuccessofaproject.Thisistrulyirrationalstuff.Whatarethe
assumptionspeoplearemakingaboutaproject?Whathistoricalfiltersarecoloringtheirviewsofour
project?Doweunderstandwhatsinitforthem?Whatsthequickestwaytoamassandmanageour
waythroughalltheseperceptions?Andwheretherearepocketsofpotentialresistancehowcanwe
useourinfluencetomakesurethesedonotbecomeobstaclesthatcapsizeourproject?
Trytoseeeverystakeholderasanactoronastage.Startbyunderstandingeachcharacterinyour
play.Everycharacterinaplayhasabackgroundthatinformstheplaysunfoldingstorybutwhich
maynot
be
directly
included
in
the
actions
or
dialogues
of
the
play.
This
is
the
background
stuff.
Too
oftenwearecompelledtoconvinceothersofwhyourprojectissoimportantandwhytheyshouldbe
enthusiasticsupportersofourefforts.
Wedontalwaystakethetimetohearotherpeoplesviewpoints.Wesetouragendaandoffwego.
Evenifwegivepeoplesperspectivesairtimewearentlisteningwithourstoryears.Inotherwords
weareprobablynotreadytomakesenseofwhatsimportanttothisotherpersonandhowthat
mightprovideunanticipatedfuelforacollaborativeideanotinourlineofsight.
Okay,itscounterintuitivebutaccordingtostoryexpertTerrenceGargiulo,theshortestdistance
between
two
people
is
a
story.
Listening
to
our
stakeholders
share
their
stories
can
lead
to
very
positiveoutcomesforourproject.Inthesestorieswewillbeabletounderstandwhatisimportantto
themandwhy.
Sometimestheveryactofbeinglistenedtoopensuppeopletothepossibilityoftakinganactive
interestinourviewpoints.Ofcoursetherearethoseraretimeswhennomatterhowhardyoutryto
makeanopenspaceforotherpeoplesstoriestheywillnottrustyouorthesituationenoughtoshare
them;perhapstheyhavebeenburnedtoomanytimes(fromCharlesSchultztscartoonPeanuts
imaginetheCharlieBrownandLucysyndromewiththefootball).Thesearefewandfarbetween.Like
anygoodprojectmanagerwearetriagingwhere,when,andhowtospendourfiniteenergyand
time.SotheresnoneedtobeDonQuixoteandchaseafterwindmillstakeholders;thoseimpossible
stakeholderwho
will
never
become
champions
of
our
projects.
Asyoumaketheroundsbetweenstakeholdersyouwillbesurprisedhowpeoplesneedsnow
encodedinthecollageofstoriesyouhavebeencollectinginterrelatewithoneanother.Youwill
havestoriestotellthatmatchoratleastdovetailwiththeneedsandagendasofothers.
8/14/2019 Gargiulo Stories and Project Management
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2009,ArmigerInternational&MAKINGSTORIES.net,CamperBull&TerrenceGargiulo,Allrightsreserved 4
Hereisasimpletool:
1. Identifythestakeholder2. Indicatewhethertheyaresupportersoropponentsofyourproject3. DescribeWhatsInItForThem(WIFT)whatsimportanttothem4. Shortdescriptionsandkeywordsofthestoriesyouelicitedthathelpyouunderstandtheir
perspective
5. Liststrategiesofhowyoumightmeetanyoftheirneedsorturnthemintoanallyoriftheyaresupportershowyoucanenlistthemasallies
Stakeholder Pro Con WIFT StoriesStrategies
InitialScopeDuringInitiationwearetryingtopaintapictureoftheprojectthatisamilehighandaninchdeep.
Everyprojectfollowsalifecycleforcollectingandmanagingrequirements.Alargeprojectwillusually
includeaformalprocessofanalysisbeforeevenenteringtheInitiatingPhase.Whetherasmallor
largeproject,userstoriesareoneofthetoolsusedbyprojectteamstogatherrequirements.For
example,insoftwaredevelopmentuserstoriesdescribehowpeopleinteractwithanapplication.
Whenyouarecollectingthesestoriesthinklessintermsoffillingoutatemplate.Usingsoftwareas
anexample,youwantpeopletotalkabouthowtheydotheirjobs,whatwouldmakeiteasier,and
whatpicture
do
they
have
of
themselves
and
their
job
after
the
implementation
of
anew
business
processortheautomationofone.
Asmuchaspossible,askpeopletodescribethesethingstoyouasanarrative.Eventtimelinescanbe
helpful.Bringasimplehighlevelpictureoftheprocesstothepersonyouareinterviewingordraw
onewhileyouarewiththem.Thenusethepicturetoelicitmorestorylikematerial.Thisis
exploratoryrequirementsgathering.Yourjobatthispointistouncoverbusinessvalue.Rememberall
ofthisinformationisbeingusedtodevelopaprojectcharterandultimatelysellthevalueofthe
projecttotheorganization.Requirementswillbefinetunedlateronandeveryrequirementwillbe
evaluatedintermsofitsrisk,valuetotheorganization,itsfeasibility,iseffectonthescopeofa
project,andtheconstraintsofaproject.
SellingtheProjectCharterwithStoriesSofarwevediscussedhowstoriesarealisteningandanalysistoolforprojects.Butwhendoweget
totellsomestories.Cantwecrafttheperfectnarrativetorallythewholeorganizationaroundour
project?Ofcoursewecanbutyoumightbesurprisedathowitsbestdone.
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2009,ArmigerInternational&MAKINGSTORIES.net,CamperBull&TerrenceGargiulo,Allrightsreserved 5
Storiesaregreatencodersofinformation.Weknowstorieshavetremendouspowertomovepeople
emotionally.Itshouldbesimplethentocraftanairtightnarrativethatwillappealtomostifnotall
peopleandgetthembehindourproject.Itturnsoutnottobethatsimplenorthemosteffectiveuse
ofstories.
Bynowyouhavespokentolotsofpeopleandyouhaveheardlotsofstories,opinions,ideas,
agendas,etcWhenitcomestosellingyourproject,pickoutsomeofthemoreprominentstories
andusethemtopaintacompellingpictureofthefuture.Thesefuturestorieswillstirpeoplesjuices.
Sometimestheremaybesuchapowerfulfuturestorythatpeoplebecomeattachedtoitleadingto
motivation,commitment,andperformance.Recognizethisisreallymoreoftheexceptionthanthe
rule.
Storiesworkbestincollections.Developacollageofcompellingstorieswithpointersandreferences
tolotsofotherpeoplesstories.Thisallowsyoutocastyournetfarandwide.Inthecollageofstories
peoplearemorelikelytoencounteronethathitshome.Thisisastorythatresonateswiththem.
Whenastoryresonateswithsomeonetheybecomestoryrepeaters.Theymaynotrepeatthestory
youhavetoldthem.Believeitornotthatsnotevenimportant.Insteadpeoplearemorelikelyto
shareastory
triggered
by
the
story
told
to
them.
AccordingtoTerrenceGargiulo,theonlyreasontotellastoryistohearastory.Thisishowyou
activatethenetworkofsensemakingintheorganization.Unlikefactscompiledondocumentssitting
onfilecabinets,orthe0sor1sstoredondiskarrays,storiesarenottobemanagedorcontrolledin
thesameways.Storiesworkbyactivatingpeoplesimaginations.Everypersonhasavastarrayof
experiencestheyuseastemplatestointerpretandmaptheworldaroundthem.Informationis
alwaysinassociationwithotherinformation.Thereforeanystorybasedcommunicationstrategywe
usetoexciteournetworkofpeertopeertostorynodesshouldinvolvepeopleascocreatorsof
meaning.
ConclusionStoriesarehowwecommunicateandmakesenseoftheworldaroundus.Becomingmoreawareand
purposefulinhowweelicitpeoplesstoriesleadstomoreeffectiveprojectcommunicationsduringall
phasesofaproject.InthisfirstarticleweexaminedthreeaspectsoftheInitiationPhaseofprojects
touchedbystories;stakeholderanalysis,initialscopingofaproject,andsellingtheprojectcharter.In
ournextarticlewewilllookattherolestoriesplayinthePlanningPhase.
8/14/2019 Gargiulo Stories and Project Management
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2009,ArmigerInternational&MAKINGSTORIES.net,CamperBull&TerrenceGargiulo,Allrightsreserved 6
ABOUTTHEAUTHORSCamperBullhasheldleadershipandmanagementpositionsinbothcommercialandphilanthropicenvironments.Hehasledadivisionofaninternationalsoftware
companyandservedasleadAccountExecutiveforFortune500companiesatboth
GenigraphicsandACI.CamperleddevelopmentoftheACImultimediamarketing
productteamanddevelopedtheircorporateimageasanindustryleaderand
innovatorinthemarket.Healsomanagedthedevelopmentofnewproducts
includingthe
launch
of
wireless
paging
at
Bell
Atlantic.
HisbackgroundindevelopingthestrategicplanningandgrowthinitiativesforVISTA
ComputerServices,includingrestructuringthecompanytobetteraddressthemarket
withaglobaloffer,significantlyhelpedthatcompanygainafootingintheworldwide
softwareindustry.Camperhasdevelopedanddeliveredseveralleadershiptraining
programsinbusinessandindustryaswellasforhighschoolseniorsandforeign
exchangestudents.HeistheauthorofasignificantPMPPrepprogramforthe
purposeofhelpingprojectmanagementprofessionalsprepareforthePMI
certificationexamination.Proficientwithcomputerizedbusinessapplications,Camper
hasbeenabletotransferthesepracticalskillsintousefultrainingtoolshelpingclients
gain
a
fast
yet
comprehensive
understanding
of
the
application
in
their
business
environment.HisextensivetravelandexperiencethroughoutEurope,AfricaandAsia
provideadditionalstrengthandaglobalviewtoCampersplatformof
communicationsandprojectmanagementtraining.
ContactInfo:Email:[email protected]
Phone:(973)3770411
TerrenceL.Gargiulo,MMHSisaneighttimesauthor,internationalspeaker,organizationaldevelopmentconsultantandgroupprocessfacilitatorspecializingin
theuseofstories.HeholdsaMasterofManagementinHumanServicesfromthe
FlorenceHellerSchool,atBrandeisUniversity,andisarecipientofInc.Magazine's
MarketingMaster
Award,
the
2008
HR
Leadership
Award
from
the
Asia
Pacific
HRM
Congress,andisamemberofBrandeisUniversitysathleticHallofFame.Hehas
appearedonFoxTV,CN8,andonCNNradioamongothers.
Highlightsofsomeofhispastandpresentclientsinclude,GM,HP,DTEEnergy,
MicroStrategy,Citrix,Fidelity,FederalReserveBank,Ceridian,CountrywideFinancial,
WashingtonMutual,DreyersIceCream,UNUM,USCoastGuard,BostonUniversity,
Raytheon,CityofLowell,ArthurD.Little,KANACommunications,MerckMedco,
CocaCola,HarvardBusinessSchool,andCambridgeSavingsBank.
Terrenceisafrequentspeakeratinternationalandnationalconferencesincludingthe
AmericanSociety
for
Training
and
Development
(ASTD),
International
Society
for
PerformanceImprovement(ISPI),AcademyofManagement,ConferenceBoard,
LinkageInc,AssociationofBusinessCommunications,andheisaFieldEditorfor
ASTD.HisarticleshaveappearedinAmericanExecutiveMagazine,JournalofQuality
andParticipation,CommunicationWorld,ISPIJournal,andASTDLinks.
ContactInfo:[email protected]
(415)9488087