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No one plans to be a Project Manager when they grow up. Many people gravitate to Project Management as an entry into software development, or more vaguely, “Tech” or “IT.” Project Management is what you do if you’re not an Engineer. Or a Designer. Or QA. Or any of the many positions that are viewed as a “value-add.” A needle mover.
Conventional Wisdom will tell you that Project Managers aren’t needle movers. They don’t add value. They bring the donuts. They take notes. They herd cats. Conventional Wisdom has never read the 120VC Enterprise Project Management Guidebook, or run a project using the 120VC Project Management Standard. The 120VC Standard will transform your Project Managers from note-taking cat herders to leaders of teams. A needle-mover. A value-add.
This isn’t a certification that will have you memorize five different terms for "inform management that the project is late." The 120VC Standard shows you how to define the health of your project. How to communicate project status in a crisp, concise, and meaningful fashion. The core of the Standard is the Daily Status Report.
Daily. Every Day? Sounds difficult? Tying your shoes was difficult. Until it wasn’t. Leadership is difficult. Excellent leadership is difficult.
Get excellent.
As a portfolio manager, The Daily Status Report allows me to see where things are moving, and as importantly, where they are not. When all of my Project Managers are keeping me current daily, I know exactly what needs to be done to keep everything on track. Add value. Move the needle. The 120VC Standard is a Standard, not a Methodology. Waterfall? You’re covered. Agile? The Daily Status report is a written Stand Up meeting. I distribute them among all of my Project Managers. Everyone knows where everyone is at. Our team can turn on a dime in response to any number of environmental changes. Last week we got a project out the door in 9 days. From kick-off to launched and live.
Value was added. Needles were moved.
If you manage a portfolio, you need all of your PMs on the 120VC Standard. All of them. I have not found a better predictor of a Project Manager’s ability to consistently lead project teams to excellence than the 120VC Standard. They will all complain about the Standard. Especially about the Daily Status Report. They’ll tell you it takes too much time. It doesn’t take as much time as a late, over-budget, or failed project.
Excellence takes effort. That’s why it’s called work. Over time, the team adjusts and incorporates the Standard as part of their daily processes. Everybody learns something about the Standard. It saves me time. It saves my Project Managers time. I don’t get surprises. Everything just flows. Excellent leadership becomes routine.
The tools are in your hands. Use them. Lead. Get Excellent.
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John Maher :: Lead Program Manager – Professional Services :: Web & Mobile :: Blizzard Entertainment
