Project Team Work Environment for Achieving Results · 2013-02-08 · Team Ground Rules based on Fish Philosophy As you enter this place of work please choose to make today a great

John Scott Parsons, PMP

Project

Management

Professional

Change Agent Fish Monger

Project Human Resource Management (PMBOK v5)

◦ Plan Resource Management

◦ Develop Project Team

◦ Ground Rules

◦ Assessments

◦ Recognition & Awards

◦ Team Building

Note: Acquire & Manage Project Team processes are not discussed directly, but some overlap exists with Manage Project Team (e.g. interpersonal skills)

Putting it all together in a Team Environment

John Scott Parsons, PMP 2

Pro

ject

Hum

an R

esourc

e

Managem

ent

Plan Resource Management

Organization Charts

Responsibility Matrix

Job Descriptions

Acquire Project Team

Develop Project Team

Training

Ground Rules

Team Building

Recognition & Awards

Assessments

Manage Project Team


3 Objectives include:

◦ Improve knowledge and skills of team members

◦ Improve feelings of trust and agreement among team members to raise morale, lower conflict, and increase team work

◦ Create a dynamic, cohesive, collaborative team culture to improve individual and team productivity, team spirit, and cooperation


Key Output: ◦ Team performance assessments

Project team effectiveness

Effective team development strategies and activities should increase the team’s performance and likelihood of meeting project objectives

◦ Enterprise Environmental Factors updated Training records

Skill assessments

Performance reviews

Etc.


Plan Resource Management ◦ Tools:

Organization Chart

Responsibility Matrix

(e.g. RACI matrix; Responsible, Accountable, Consulting, Information)

Job/Role Descriptions


Develop Project Team

◦ Goal: Improve competencies, team member interaction, and

overall team environment to enhance project performance

◦ Benefits: Improved teamwork

Enhanced people skills and competencies

Motivated employees

Reduced staff turnover rates

Improved overall project performance


Set expectations: Team & Individual based

◦ Ground Rules Company Values

Workability Agreements

X by Y policy

◦ Goals and metrics tied to assessments


What does team building mean? ◦ Scope?

◦ What is the context? What is the environment?

Team building activities are designed for improving team performance ◦ Ensure self development

◦ Positive communication

◦ Leadership

◦ Ability to work closely together


Per studies…

96% of North Americans studied agreed with the statement

“I get a lot of satisfaction out of knowing I’ve done a good job.”

• Only about 40% of North American workers say they receive

any recognition for a job well done (team or individual). • Likewise about 40% report they never get recognized for

outstanding individual performance

• Only 50% of managers say they give recognition for high performance. Does this mean getting extraordinary things done is just part of the job?


From “Encourage the Heart”

Manager feedback…


I treated their accomplishments as part of their normal job, which required no unique recognition

Expressing genuine appreciation for the efforts and successes of others means that we have to show our emotions.

…praising and encouraging activities take too much time. It was just another item to add to her… list of responsibilities.

From “Encourage the Heart”

A Simple “Thank You” does a lot for acknowledgement & recognition.

Some Individual feedback…

◦ “Want to be acknowledged for work well done.”

◦ “Want to be valued as an individual not part of a team.”

◦ “Wants management to know what I’m doing”

◦ “Only get visibility when things go wrong, not credited for all that went right.”

◦ “Recognize people as individuals, be sincere when thanking people”


From local employee survey

Tied to assessments/goals & expectations ◦ Both Team & Individual performance

Emphasize expected or good behavior rather than heroic behavior (not necessarily good; bad example for others)

Feedback is important… ◦ Don’t wait for project completion

◦ Include as part of team meetings as well as randomly

Manager and Peer feedback is important


Feedback and Recognition (tangible & intangible)

◦ Monetary awards – cash, gift cards, stock, etc.

◦ Plaque, trophy, flowers, lunch, dinner, etc.

◦ Certificate of appreciation

◦ Time off – extra vacation

◦ Handwritten note/card

◦ Verbal encouragement

◦ Verbal “Thank You!”

◦ Be creative and have fun!


Examples:


http://www.officeplayground.com/happyball.html

http://www.officeplayground.com/smileydude.html

http://www.officeplayground.com/happyhopper.html

Examples:


Goals and metrics (basis for assessments)

◦ Individual goals tied to that of the project

◦ Project goals tied to that of the department

◦ Department goals tied to that of company

◦ Consider: Involving team members in goal definition

Defining recognition for meeting or exceeding expectations


Some parts of Manage Team

Key output of the knowledge area processes for Resource Management

In Any Team Environment • at Work – within a project team

• at Play – a sports team

• at School – a club team

• at Recreation – a hobby group

• Anywhere – any team


Think about your team or work environment

◦ What is positive or good about it?

◦ What can be improved?



What can we learn from a Fish Market?

Fish Philosophy

◦ Basic Principles of the Language of Fish:

Choose Your Attitude

Play

Make Their Day

Be There


Attitude is everything ◦ It is yours and you are responsible for it

Attitudes are contagious…

◦ Is yours worth catching?

◦ How does your attitude affect your work & others?


Positive Attitude Negative Attitude

Energetic

Cheerful

Friendly

Confidence

Hopeful

Helpful

Kind

Respectful

Engaged

Sad Uncaring Pessimistic Detached Cynical Indifference Skeptical Resentment Unwilling Mean


Choose Your Attitude

◦ Consider and be aware of your current attitude Is it the attitude you want?

Is it the appropriate attitude?

Does it affect others? If so, how so?

Can you change your attitude?

◦ You are responsible for your own attitude

◦ Understand your impact on others

◦ Make a personal choice- Be positive; help improve morale


Road Rage

Play / Have Fun

◦ Have fun at Work!

◦ Lighten up the day

◦ Includes learning, experimenting, interacting

Creativity flourishes where play is occurring

◦ Nurture an environment full of trust, respect & free of fear

◦ Make work enjoyable rather than a chore


Make Their Day

◦ Engage team & others: stakeholders, customers, etc.

◦ Encourage and involve others; focus on one person

◦ Do something unexpected or out of the ordinary

◦ Make a positive impact on someone… ◦ Many opportunities exist daily with everyone you encounter

◦ Value people; show genuine interest and appreciation

◦ Various Recognition & Acknowledgement possibilities Management focused

Peer recognition


Be There / Be Present

◦ This applies to all communication and interaction

Greetings, conversations, etc.

Do you have an Open Door Policy? Do you mean it?

◦ Give your undivided attention… Listen

◦ Really listen and connect with another human being

◦ Be present – focus in the present and the task at hand… avoid distractions, daydreaming, thinking ahead, etc.

◦ Trust is built when you are “there”


Manifesto of the Fish Philosophy

With the amount of time we spend at work we might as well

have some fun

We can and do choose our attitude

There is nothing as satisfying as making someone’s day

It is not just about listening: it IS about being there; being

present


Example Workplace Guideline Team Ground Rules based on Fish Philosophy

As you enter this place of work please choose to make today a great day. Your colleagues, customers, team members, and you yourself will be thankful. Find ways to play. We can be

serious about our work without being serious about ourselves. Stay focused in order to be present when your customers and

team members most need you. And should you feel your energy lapsing, try this surefire remedy: Find someone who

needs a helping hand, a word of support, or a good ear – and make their day.


Why Consider the Fish Philosophy?

◦ Provide amazing service that makes customers want to come back again and again

◦ Build a culture where employees love to give their best every day

◦ Build effective leaders who inspire via example

◦ Improve teamwork and build trust


People like to work in an environment that is fun, energizing, and where they can make a difference

The Fish Philosophy is another tool or framework to enhance the performance of your team It puts life & work experiences in a new perspective

It is a personal choice & a personal commitment…

Does the entire team have to buy in to the concepts? No

Improve Team Performance… Increase chance of project success!


Project Managers are Leaders

Leaders have the following responsibilities: Inspire a Shared Vision – set a direction

Challenge the Process and status quo – make improvements

Enable Others to Act - remove barriers

Model the Way - be an example

Encourage the Heart – provide encouragement

These responsibilities align with the Fish Philosophy


Leadership Challenge by Kouzes & Posner

What are you going to do now?

◦ A Yogurt Dude will sit back and watch

◦ A Fish Monger will participate… Make a Difference



John Scott Parsons, PMP

◦ 585-270-1462 (via Google Voice)

◦ [email protected] or [email protected]

◦ http://www.linkedin.com/in/jsparsons

◦ http://jsparsons.wordpress.com/


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jsparsons

http://jsparsons.wordpress.com/

http://jsparsons.wordpress.com/

Added information & examples


1. Listen generously ◦ Listen for the contribution and commitment of the other person. ◦ Suspend our assessments and judgments. ◦ Commit to the legitimacy of and value of their view. ◦ Give them the experience of being listened to.

2. Expressing ourselves ◦ Speak honestly in a way that forwards the action and the conversation. ◦ Speak as friends. ◦ Simply speak straight.

3. Being for each other ◦ Be on each other’s side. ◦ Promote each other’s reputation. ◦ Manage each other’s reputation. ◦ No matter what happens, we are for each other.

4. Exchanging and honoring specific commitments ◦ Respect each other’s commitments including your own. ◦ Say what you are going to do. ◦ Do what you say you are going to do. ◦ Exchanging commitments is how work gets done.

5. Acknowledging and appreciating others ◦ Each person commits to continuously acknowledge & appreciate contributions of others and the group itself. ◦ Includes acknowledging each other when things don’t work out.


Part 1:

◦ Whenever we need a task (X) to be performed, we agree to be very specific about

X, and to specify when (Y) it needs to be completed. For example, we might say "I

need to have the final report for the Red Fish project on my desk by noon

Thursday.” Certainly, much of our business is conducted in this way already. But

the due-dates are missed, far too often. Yet, without setting due-dates, requests

are little more than complaints. So more is needed if X by Y is to help us...

Part 2:

◦ Whenever we are given an X by Y request, our response must be Yes, No,

Conditional, or Future. Each of these responses creates a different kind of contract

between the requestor and the respondent.


Yes:

◦ This response is probably the easiest one to give. If you say "Yes", you are

committing yourself to the completion of a task without preconditions. The "Yes"

response also commits your requestor to a degree of reasonableness. The

request must be for a service or product that is within reason; and your requestor

must give you enough information (or access to it) to do the job. Your requestor

should be as specific as necessary without telling you how to do the job, unless

education is part of the task. But if your requestor doesn't tell you everything, you

shouldn't hesitate to ask for more information before agreeing to the task.

No:

◦ Saying "No" seems to be a problem for many people. But if you can't say "No",

how can you ever say "Yes"?


Conditional: ◦ There are always conditions to saying yes, both implied and explicit, and the trick

is to state them when your services are requested. In general, it's much more useful to say, "I can do X by Y only if all of the source materials are on my desk (or disk) by noon Wednesday, and I get relief on the Moose tracking job, et cetera" rather than saying "Yes", and not completing the job on time because of events beyond your control! (Remember, your credibility may be at risk here!) The responsibility for reasonableness is now more balanced: you and your requestor share it more fully because you are bringing up conditions to be agreed upon by both sides.

Future: ◦ Sometimes you can't give a response right away, because you need more

information. In this case, the rule is to promise a decision by a certain time, when you know more. For example, "I'll have to let you know about X by Tuesday at 3 after I discuss the matter with Mr. Card." This response is of course another form of "I don't know." But "I don't know," by itself, can be rather callous and even impolite. You're letting your requestor know whether you can, just as soon as you get enough information.


The main rule for dealing with failure is: ◦ Bad News is best delivered early.

◦ You really don't want to parade your failure to meet a task due-date after the fact,

in front of everyone in a staff meeting, so let your requestor know, privately, that

this task is now impossible, in plenty of time to renegotiate it.

◦ Perhaps the best approach is to think through the reasons why there is a delay,

and propose to your requestor, specific ideas for eliminating the delay, in plenty of

time to implement some or all of them.

◦ Quite often, you may get help from your requestor, since most people seem to be

eager to help someone who is working hard.

◦ By doing this, you'll tend to keep your requestor more satisfied, the project more

on track, and your requestor winds up sharing the responsibility for the delay with

you!



Find It Personalize It

◦ Internalize what it means individually

Commit It

◦ Demonstrate visible commitment to the principles

Live It

◦ Use it and address every opportunity

Be It

◦ Make it a part of everyday life and culture

Coach It

◦ Provide feedback and help others… upward, downward, laterally


From “Fish Sticks”

Web Pages ◦ http://www.fishphilosophy.com

◦ http://www.charthouse.com

◦ http://www.fishphilosophynetwork.com/

◦ http://www.pikeplacefish.com/

◦ http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/

Books “Fish!” by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen “Fish! Tales” by Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, and Harry Paul with

Philip Strand “Fish! Sticks” by Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, and Harry Paul “Fish For Life” by Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, and Harry Paul “Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing

Others” by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner “Leadership Challenge” by by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner


http://www.fishphilosophy.com/

http://www.fishphilosophy.com/

http://www.charthouse.com/

http://www.charthouse.com/

http://www.fishphilosophynetwork.com/

http://www.fishphilosophynetwork.com/

http://www.pikeplacefish.com/



http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/

http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/

45 John Scott Parsons, PMP

Documents

Project Team Work Environment for Achieving Results · 2013-02-08 · Team Ground Rules based on Fish Philosophy As you enter this place of work please choose to make today a great