Table of Contents

CONTENTS

List of Tables and Figures xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xvii

Chapter 1 – Understanding Yourself 1

• DISC Profile 4

• Fostering Communication 7

• Responding to Types 7

• Working Through Weakness 9

Chapter 2 – Communicating on All Levels 11

• Determining Sponsor Styles 12

• Delivering Information 13

• Crafting the Message 14

• Team DISC Profiles 16

• Adjusting the Message 17

• Proper Communications Management 20

• Communications Documents 21

Chapter 3 – Be Trustworthy 27

• Coping with Questions 28

• Qualifying the Question 29

• Don’t Lie! 30

• Dealing with Fear 31

• Admitting You Are Wrong 32

• How to Fix Things If You Haven’t Told the Truth 36

• Sometimes It Can’t Be Fixed 37

Chapter 4 – Turning Around Failing Projects 41

• How to Spot a Project That Is on Its Way Down 42

• Someone Isn’t Being Heard 43

• Watch the Ego 46

• When It’s Wrong, It’s Wrong 47

• Stopping a Project Before It Starts 48

• “It Is What It Is” 51

• How to Assess the Current Situation and Create an Action Plan That Works 54

Chapter 5 – Defining the Word Done 57

• Definition of Done in Project Management 57

• Team Building with the Word Done 59

• How Done Can Set Proper Expectations 60

• Lack of Historical Information 61

• Creating Lessons Learned 62

Chapter 6 – Application of the Iron Triangle (Triple Constraint) 65

• What Is the Iron Triangle? 65

• Why the Triangle Works 66

• How to Implement the Triangle 69

• Use the Triangle for Discovery and Scoping 70

• Why the Triangle Shouldn’t Be Used for Project Success 72

Chapter 7 – PERT Methodology in Project Planning 75

• What Is PERT? 76

• PERT for Time Estimation 78

• How to Factor Risk into the Equation 79

• Create a Work Breakdown Structure for PERT 80

• Examples of PERT in Action 82

Chapter 8 – Customer Focus Starts with Great Requirements 87

• Characteristics of Good Requirements 88

• Functional Requirements Versus Technical Requirements 90

• Who Is the Real Customer? 92

• Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary 93

Chapter 9 – Do Not Sacrifice Your Team at Any Cost! 95

• The Importance of the Team Relationship 96

• How to Build an Effective Team Relationship 96

• Internal Team Satisfaction 99

• Team Building and Conflict Resolution 100

• 100 Percent/10 Percent Rule 101

• How a Team Can Become Overburdened 103

• Interacting with Requestors to Avoid Overburdening 105

• Dealing with Mandated Dates 106

Chapter 10 – Myths About Status Meetings 111

• Understanding the Purpose of Meetings 112

• Should There Be a Meeting? 113

• Are Your Meetings Effective? 114

• Setting Up a Successful Meeting 116

• Important Rules for Meetings 118

• How to Get a Meeting Back on Track 119

• A Big Meeting Faux Pas and Myth 120

• The Team Morale Killer 121

• How to Close a Meeting Successfully 121

Chapter 11 – Patriots and Scuds 125

• Dealing with Patriots and Scuds 125

• Understand Your Own Missiles 127

• Understanding Missiles 128

• Using Patriots 128

• Using Scuds 128

• Missiles in Public 129

• Missiles in Corporate Culture 130

• Always Have an Escape Strategy 130

Chapter 12 – A Real Risk Assessment 133

• Why Risk Is Important 133

• The Risk Process 134

• Why People Are Opposed to Risk Management 137

• Dynamic Risk Assessment 138

• The Beginning of the Transformation 141

• The Evolution of the Risk Assessment 142

• The Final Product 145

• Involving the Team 148

Chapter 13 – How to Put Risk in a Project Plan 151

• Thirteenth Floor Principle 152

• Parkinson’s Law 153

• Murphy’s Law 154

• Putting Risk in a Project Plan 155

• Presenting Risk to the Sponsor 160

• Presenting Risk to the Team 161

• Using Risk 161

Chapter 14 – Data Rules All! 165

• Collecting Data 166

• Mining Data from Lessons Learned 170

• Making Emotional Conversations Unemotional 171

• “Drop Everything” Does Not Mean Drop Everything! 174

• Using Data in Conflict Situations 175

• Countering Data That Is Harmful to the Project 181

Chapter 15 – Project Manager: The Strategic Resource 183

• Needing the Data 184

• Strategic Positioning of Project Management 185

• What CIOs Need to Know 186

• What PMs Need to Provide 187

• Software Assistance with Governance 188

• The Proactive Approach 189

Chapter 16 – Making Positive Change to Your Corporate Culture 193

• How Corporate Culture Affects Project Management 193

• Understanding and Analyzing Corporate Culture 198

• What to Do When You Can’t Change or Affect

Corporate Culture 200

• How to Obtain Executive Sponsorship 202

• What to Do When Executive Sponsorship Is Not as You Hoped 204

• How to Get Your Sponsor Motivated and Interested in Your Project 207

Chapter 17 – Conclusion 209

Glossary 211

Index 213

About the Authors 219

About the Author

Rick A. Morris is a project manager for several Fortune 500 companies and is a sought-after public speaker on project management. Brette McWhorter Sember is an attorney who has written more than 30 books including The Essential Supervisor's Handbook.