The Deltaforce Project Management & Change Forum
"Welcome! Deltaforce is a company dedicated to being a positive force for change. Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet and is often used to indicate change - an appropriate metaphor for what project managers do everyday of their lives - effect change. However, on a broader front, change is part of everyone's life and thus the principles of project management can be helpful no matter what we are attempting to change. Whether it is building a new spec. home, planning a party, re-inventing ones life or undertaking a massive construction project the principles remain the same. I hope you find something positive to help you make the changes you or your organization aspire to"
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Project Management - the art of getting things done
Getting things done is about organzation. Today the pace of change requires Project Managers or anyone aspiring to effect significant change to move from a state of disorganization to a 'steady state' of being organized. How do you do this?
Use the STAR principle:
- what's the Situation now that requires me to effect positive change?
- what are the Tasks necessary to achieve this change or new situation?
- what is the best Approach or actions to take and when and by whom or what in order to accomplish these tasks?
- what are the measurable Result/s that we are looking for and how will you know or be able to measure when these results are achieved?
This simple technique can get you started on any project and like so many project management techniques it comes from the military and has been used by miltary commanders to appraise their team of the task ahead.
The end result should be clear to everyone involved in the project and it should be crystal clear how the results will be assessed irrespective of whether the outcomes are hard (tangible, e.g. a new system for ... ) or soft (intangible, e.g. a certain business outcome or a satisfied customer). One way to achieve this is t set objectives that are SMART:
Specific (concrete, detailed, well defined), Measureable (numbers, quantity, comparison), Achievable (feasible, actionable), Realistic (considering resources) and Time-Bound (a defined time line).
These goals or objectives for the basis of what in some methodologies like Prince 2 are called acceptance criteria.
As you project becomes more complex it justifies ever more precision but this should not cause you to lose focus and the old adage KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid is not a bad one to follow.
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Director, Omnia Nour and Executive Director of ICT Development Programmes,
Peter Churchward shake hands after signing a MoU about the Connect ROTAsia
Knowledge Network.
Reach Out to Asia ROTA - a positive force for changeThe idea for a charity which would reach out to the Asian continent to provide those in need with quality education was conceived by Qatar's Heir Apparent, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in November, 2005. Guided by their Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Reach Out To Asia operates as a non-governmental organization (NGO) within the framework of Qatar Foundation - a private non-profit organization founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. Qatar Foundation is built on the principle that a nation's greatest resource is the potential of its people, and it aims to develop that potential internationally through a network of centers devoted to progressive education, research and community welfare. ROTA's mission is to extend that assistance into Asia - where it's strategic geographic location gives it a unique opportunity to support its neighboring countries as they overcome developmental difficulties. In addition, more than 60% of Qatar's own expatriate community is of Asian origin, giving ROTA added insight and understanding of the needs and cultural norms of the Asian people. Find out morePetro-Dollars and New Connections - fuel change. Gulf countries are reshaping the world's financial systems and industries-and themselves. In this new era of petrodollar liquidity, it’s the GCC states (not Wall Street, not Main Street U.S.A., not the City of London) that are altering companies’ strategies and even managers’ careers—and those are among the more prosaic consequences. The GCC’s aggressive investment activities, along with the member states’ openness to globalization, are moving the Gulf closer than it has ever been to the center of the international financial system. Wall Street and London remain critical hubs, of course. But more frequently, bankers and financiers from New York and the UK are arriving in, say, Dubai or Jidda, hat in hand, seeking meetings with Gulf investors who can fund their projects, bail out their organizations, or help them seize opportunities in new areas such as Islamic banking. As a result of these efforts, the institutional fabric of the Middle East and Africa is changing. The connections that executives and policy makers in these locations are forging with their counterparts in China, India, and the rest of Asia will engender a broader systemic change in international trade and finance in the decades to come." For the full report visit Harvard Business Review Project Management - the means to accomplish positive changePerhaps the grandfather of modern project management techniques and the developer of the ubiquitous project management tool - the Gantt chart, was Henry Gantt. He expressed the ideal embodiment of positive change in this quotation below: "Whatever we do must be in accord with human nature. We cannot drive people; we must direct their development...
the general policy of the past has been to drive; but the era of force must give way to the era of knowledge,
and the policy of the future will be to teach and lead, to the advantage of all concerned."
Henry L. Gantt
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Connections - another positive force for change?
As Herminia Ibarra INSEAD Professor of Organisational Behaviour says many people's have an objection to networking.
[their] objection to networking is that ”it’s sleazy, it’s using
people, it’s political,” says Ibarra. “As you move up within an
organization or a career path, doing the actual work itself becomes
less and less your role and getting work done through people becomes
more and more your responsibility,” she says. “That’s where networks
come in. Informal connections that give you information, ideas,
resources support, political intelligence and frankly most people are
not very good at building these networks and using them.”
She also goes on to say:
“Other things being equal, what is going to give you an edge? It’s the
relationships that you have that allow you to augment what you know and
allow you to take the ‘what you know’ and actually to translate it into
practice, into something the organization can use. It makes all the
difference.”
Today, networking is a social and professional phenomena brought about by the ubiquitous computer and the world-wide web. So start building connections that will help you accomplish positive change wherever you aspire to.
So if you are a serious 'change agent' why not start now by joining me and my many colleagues, associates and friends. Let's network for pleasure and profit; relaxation and reward; learning and earning, charity and comradeship. See you on a network near you!
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