Whiteboards That Work!

Focusing Your Team: The Trend Matrix

Helping your team to focus is one of the most effective ways for overcoming the destructive walls of opinions, positions, and political turf so common in today's workplace. In this series we're concentrating on focusing tools and methods that result in:

• building team unity
• generating momentum
• teasing out creative energy within your team

In today's post we'll briefly explore the Trend Matrix as a way to help your team work together to create a comprehensive actionplan based on all the external and internal environmental factors affecting an organization. If you haven't had a chance to read the first post in this series you can find it now by clicking here. I also highly recommend reading the following two posts on Context Maps as this post builds on the information gathered through this process:

Focusing Your Team: The Context Map

Context Maps: The Key To Getting To Why

Let's start with a quick overview of the thinking behind this method.

WHY THE TREND MATRIX?

You are invited to attend yet another offsite planning meeting. You have lost track of how many of these you've attended in the course of your career. They are all the same. Lots of hype about where the company is going. Perhaps discussions about real problems and concerns. Loads of information and ideas are collected. Your hopes are high. Perhaps this one will be different. Maybe this time something will actually happen. Does this sound familiar?

The purpose of the Trend Matrix is to provide the team with a framework and tool to:

• consider the impact each trend captured in the Context Map has on the organization
• capture the actions that the organization will take in response to each trend
• categorize, sort, and prioritize trends and actions to create an actionalble plan for moving forward with confidence

In short, the purpose of the Trend Matrix is to transform talk into action.

BUILDING ON THE DATA

I assume that prior to doing a Trend Map exercise you have completed a Context Map with the team or individual you are working with. Once you have done that you have what you need to drill down and transform your high level trends to something meaningful to your client.

I've found that the most valuable part of this exercise comes from building what I call a "Trend Matrix." It is a simple 2-dimensional table that provides implications and possible actions for each trend identified in the map. See example below:

(Notice I've created a table for each trend. I've found that this helps break up the long list of trends into manageable chunks so as to not be so overwhelming to the team or individual I am working with.)

COMPLETING THE TREND MATRIX

I've found that the best way to complete the Trend Map is to use a laptop connected to a digital projector using a preformatted spreadsheet that I have populated on a break.

To complete the Trend Matrix I take each trend and ask, "What are the implications to the organization as a whole?" I record all the responses as a bulleted list in the implication column. I also like to ask, "What are the implications to your individual departments or divisions?" I'll add those to the list, making a note of the departments affected.

Next I'll ask, "What are the possible actions to take given the implications this trend has for your organization?" I'll also record the responses in a bulleted list under the actions column. It is also important to note individual departments or divisions if applicable.

When you are finished you'll have a very rich database of all the trends affecting the organization, all the implications they represent, and the possible actions the organization should consider taking to repsond to the trends. This can be further refined by the team members and their staff between meetings.

Once this data in finalized I like to categorize the actions, add departments, and insert the trend in the row in aniticipation of the next step: creating the consolidated view in an MS Excel or MS Access database. Taking this step makes it easy to sort and prioritize line items in preparation for formulating the plans and initiatives resulting from this work. I've included a partial example below:

The Trend Matrix is one of my most powerful tools in helping individuals and teams respond to the many trends and factors affecting them in this highly dynamic world we are lving in today.

 

Focusing Your Team: The Context Map

Helping your team to focus is one of the most effective ways for overcoming the destructive walls of opinions, positions, and political turf so common in today's workplace. In this series we're concentrating on focusing tools and methods that result in:

• building team unity
• generating momentum
• teasing out creative energy within your team

In today's post we'll briefly explore Grove's Context Map  as a way to help your team work together to create a comprehensive snapshot of all the external and internal environmental factors affecting an organization. If you haven't had a chance to read the first post in this series you can find it now by clicking here.

Let's start with a quick overview of the thinking behind this method.

WHY THE CONTEXT MAP?

The environment in which organization's exist is constantly changing. The forces that make up this environment include things such as the current economic climate, political trends, customer needs, demographical trends, and technology trends just to name a few. The organization can either react to trends dominant trends once they are strongly felt, or proactively anticipate and respond to these trends before their effect is strongly felt.The most successful companies do the latter.

The purpose of the Context Map is to provide a framework for identifying, discussing, and recording the most impactful trends affecting the organization. It results in a high-level view of all the factors to consider when planning or strategizing about an organization's future. You can view an example of the Gorve Context Map by clicking here.

Completing the map as a team helps them build an appreciation for one another as each individual team member adds trends and factors from their own perspective that come naturally because of their unique personality, position in the organization, and personal interests. This is an important point to bring to the team's attention somewhere in this exercise usually as part of the summary at the end. In short, using the context map not only provides valuable data but also helps the team to build trust, the foundation of high-performing teams in any organization.

USING THE CONTEXT MAP

I've found the Context Map to be a very useful tool not only for building a strategic vision, but also in building a cohesive and functional team. See my post, "Context Maps: The Key To Getting To Why" for a detailed discussion about how to use them with your team. Please take a few minutes to read the post now as it will walk you through the process of building a Context Map.

In the next post in this series we'll build on the work we have done in creating a Context Map and focus the team by building a Trend Matrix.

 

When You Need A Project Manager

One of the most common questions I get from clients after conducting a strategic visioning session with their team is, "Which of these initiatives need a project manager?" I typically answer, "It depends!" But what does it depend on?

Here are 8 questions to ask to assess your need for a PM thanks to Arras People across the pond in the UK:

• Has the project been well scoped out already?
• Have the critical success factors been well defined already?
• Is the project team size less than 5?
• Is the project of relatively low value / low cost?
• Is the project timescale less than 6 months?
• Is the project low risk?
• Is the project non-business critical?
• Is there an immediate manager – project sponsor – with available time for support?

Answering 'no' to more than 2-3 of these questions should be a good indicator that in fact you do need a PM for your project. If not, then perhaps a project coordinator will do. In that case I suggest you go to  Arras People and read their post, Do you REALLY need a Project Manager?

What about you? What would you add to the list to help determine the need for a PM? Please feel free to comment in the space below.

 

3 Imperatives for Project Managment Success

Of the hundreds of things to evaluate as potential project success deteminers just three stand out to me:

1. Alignment
2. Focus
3. Clarity

Alignment - The "Why"

The most successful projects align well with the top priorioties of the companies that fund them. There is no question in anyone's mind how the outcomes of the project affect the bottom line of the company. A well-aligned project starts well before the project charter is written. It even starts well before the business case is made seeking funding for the project. A well-aligned project has its genesis in the strategic visioning process the leadership team engages in at least annually, if not quarterly.

The problem is that typical leadership teams at the highest levels of our corporations find most of their time working in the business. Little time or thought is given to working on the business. A well facilitated strategic visioning retreat helps these executives overcome this dilema. It is held off-site away from the lure of day-to-day problems and demands nipping at their feet. A good facilitator will not wait until the retreat to engage these executives but will have met with them at least once to get their input as well as get them thinking about the key issues and topics being discussed at the retreat.

A well-facilitated retreat will cycle through a brief history of the organization, an environmental scan of key trends, an honest assessment of strengths, problems, threats and the opportunities these create. The faciliator will help the team envision the future, perhaps even helping them outline the annual report 24 months into the future. Key themes and needs are summarized into 5 bold steps they will take going into the future. The retreat culminates with a gameplan for putting these things into play.

It is from this exercise of one like that the key projects stem. Done this way there is no question in anyone's mind what the project is about and how it helps propel the company forward into the desired future state they seek to create.

Focus - The "What"

Now that we have a compelling "why" for doing the project, a clear focus of what the project will deliver is a hallmark of every successful project. We depend heavily on the projecting scoping activities to accomplish this. I find the most success when I use strong visual tools to help all the stakeholders, the project sponsor, and all the project team share a common vision to what success looks like. I have written a number of posts on this topic with examples you can use to enjoy the same success as I.

Project Scope Management: How Visual Communications Can Help

Project Scope Statement Development: Hedging Your Bets with Stakeholders

Visualizing Project Scope

I find that providing some sort of context diagram that not only shows what's in but also provides all the things that surround the in scope activities works best for getting everyone on the same page. I don't use the term page lightly. I recommend that such a diagram be limited to one page. For more on this topic see my posts written about the virtues of one page diagrams.

Clarity - The "Who," "How," and "When"

Having the "why" and the "what" now leaves us with the "who," "how," and "when." Project that excel in this area have a very good knowledge of their team's needs and the best people to fill them. They make sure everyone is playing their best position and that the entire team understands this and values each and every team member for what they contribute to the project. mature teams understand that not all people are cast from the same mold and that it takes all kinds to bring a project to a successful completion.

These project teams a clear about their deliverables, their schedule, and how what they do affects their team members and their deliverables. Seasoned team members do their best work fully committed to the project success and look beyond their own responsibilities to ensure everyone has what they need for success.

I like to use a the vision to implementation map to keep everyone focused on all three points we've covered in this post. projects that do these things well will be much more likely to not only meet their project's cost, time, and quality metrics but will also enjoy a much higher level of satisifcation from their team and those the project serves.

 

 

Personas and Want Maps: Employing Visual Tools to Collect User Requirements

I have observed that the most successful business analysts treat collecting user requirements as more of an art than a science. It should come as no surprize then that two of their most effective tools are highly visual. Personas and Want Maps seek to characterize the major groups of users, what they might be looking for from the system, how they might use it, and what they really want. 

I recently found an excellent blog post on this topic that gives a wonderful case study of how to use such tools. Matthew Hodgson's blog, Matt's Musings, provide this example.

I am curious if any of you have ever used this approach, especially making use of Want Maps? Please use the comment form below to share your experience with us.

Engaging the Business in Business Requirements Using Visual Communications

One of the biggest complaints I hear from the business side of the house in an IT project is how boring and even painful it is to work on IT projects. I have found that adding a visual aspect to these projects immediately engages non-IT folks and gets at their best thinking and involvement.

I recently came across an excellent article on this topic by Maria Horrigan entitled, "Tips for Presenting Requirements and Deliverables."

5 Ways to Engage the Business

In her article Maria shares five things she now does to engage the business:

1. Establish and communicate the purpose
2. Use Visual Artifacts to Display Requirements and Design
3. Understand your Audience
4. Understand the Business Context
5. No Surprises - show your work in progress

We have discussed many of these principles in prior posts. This article does a great job of giving an example of how to apply these principles in a typical business analyst/developer role. I hope you'll take a few minutes to read the article. What is your take? Do you have a similar story you can share below?

Building a Strong and Compelling Business Case for Your Project - Part 2

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, I talked about using "the gap" to win the hearts and minds of your executive team as well as getting your project approved and funded. We focused on using a physical level diagram to depict the current or "as is" state that creates tension and uneasiness in the viewer. We then use a logical or conceptual diagram to depict the future state the project delivers as a way to resolve the tension. In a very real sense the project closes the gap between the "as is" and "to be" states. 

Turning Up The Heat

In this post we'll briefly point out how "heat maps" can accomplish the same thing. Instead of using complexity we use colors.

In the case of heat maps I like to create both diagrams at the logical or conceptual level. I depict the major commponents affected or related to the project and show their relationship to one another. I then assign a color to each component indicating how when the component is doing.

I use the color red to depict a problem, yellow to depict working but not optimally, and green to depict no work needed. When I am finished the viewer can clearly see what is in scope, the current state, and what the components and "system" looks like after project closure. The left side has lots of red and the right side has lots of green.

After reading both Part 1 and Part 2 of this series you should be able to create a powerful visual tool to increase your success in selling to upper management.

 

Building a Strong and Compelling Business Case for Your Project - Part 1

One of the first steps in the project initiation phase is getting the project funded. However, the most successful projects get more than funding: they win the hearts and minds of executive management. The art of building a strong and compelling business case for projects that accomplishes this revolves around a little known secret to success: "the gap."

Where's the Gap?

Over the years I have found that success largely depends on the ability of the project sponsor to clearly explain the current reality, the implications if nothing is done, and what the future looks like if the project is funded. Skillfully creating tension and uneasiness surrounding the current reality then resolving that tension is key to success. It borrows a common pattern of the best playwrights reaching all the way back to the time of Aristotle. Aristotle is father of the 3-act play which is used in almost any successful play or movie to this current day.

Think back to the last movie that captured your interest and held your attention throughout the entire movie. I'm pretty confident you will find that the movie begins by setting the stage by fixing the location in time and geography and introduces the main characters. Almost immediately tension is formed as a situaion arises. In the end this tension is finally resolved. 

Shortcut to Success: Draw Picture!

I find that the shortest way to get everyone on the same page is to draw a picture of the current reality that creates obvious tension then resolving that tension with another picture. In most IT-related projects I find that the best way to create tension and dissatisfaction regarding the current reality is to provide a physical diagram. I then resolve the tension by using a logical diagram of the future vision. 

For example, in many IT-related projects the goal is to reduce or eliminate duplication and un-needed layers of complexity introduced as the company grew and expanded. The current reality I commonly use is something I call a "Spaghetti Diagram." This diagram provides a represention of all the major databases and applications including their connections. Keeping it at a psuedo-physical level makes it look messy and creates tension in the viewer.

The future vision or end product diagram is drawn at the logical level depicting a more efficient and organized IT environment that each user sees. The results are generally cost savings over time, easier to support and use, and better process performance over all. I'll discuss other ways to accomplish this using logical and conceptual diagrams combined with "heat maps" in future posts.

 

The Project Business Case: Getting to Why, Building a Strong Project Foundation

One of the most critical elements of a well managed project is a strong business case. A well-written, well-structured business case is a gift to the project manager, a gift that keeps on given throughout the entire project lifecycle.

A common misconception about the business case is that it is only used to get project funding. Such an attitude is short-sighted and undermines the value such a case can contrubute to the success of the project. I have found that a strong, well-written business case is used extensively in each of the processes in the project lifecycle: Initiation, Planning and Design, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, Closing, and Project Control Systems. The reason is simple: in its simplest form the project business case gets at the "why" of the project.

In this blog post series we'll be exploring how the business case is used in each process, the key diagrams that flow from it, and the thinking behind these diagrams so you can adapt them to your specific situation.

 

7 Steps To Presenting a Complex and Controversial Topic

Reading a recent article by Clive Thompson about he used visual communication to make a computer purchasing decision I was led to an interesting presentation by Dan Roam Author of On the Back of a Napkin. While over 2 years old now, Dan does a good job in his presentation of sorting out the Health Care Reform movement in the US. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, I felt the presentation was a very good example of using visual communications to sort out a highly emotionally, politically charged, and complex topic.

In this post I'd like to step back from the actual topic and briefly focus on how to take any topic and use visual communications to reduce and simplify it in a way that provides a spring board for active discussion and decision making. I break this process down to 7 simple steps anyone can follow. I've also provided a link to Dan's presentation for you to study.

What to look for in Dan's video

While you watch the video, notice how Dan breaks simplifies the subject by breaking it down to its pieces and parts, their purpose or position, and their relationship to one another. Another way to look at doing this is that we now have built a working model of the issues that we can then run various scenarios through to see their effect. And he does just that.

He then uses case studies or examples and "feeds" them through the model and helps the viewer see what happens in each case. All the steps so far have been to achieve a common level or a shared understanding of the reform problem. Now you are ready for the "therefore what?" stage of the discussion. In a real, interactive situation this is where you are ready to summarize the points and make a recommendation.

This is an effective and very important example of how you can take the most controversial topics and facilitate productive discussion about it leading to decisions. While you might want to take a different approach to the slides and graphics to use if you were making a presentation like in the board room the principles remain the same.

The six hats exercise we've covered in other posts does it another way by helping each person to see the topic from a different perspective. Perhaps Six Hats is better suited for a more interactive debate and discussion while the approach we've studied about is best suited for situations you are selling in that are highly charged and difficult at best.

I've summarized the steps below. I recommend you try them the next time you are faced with getting funding for a controversial project or selling in a very complex environment.

The 7 Steps

BUILD THE MODEL

Step 1 - reduce the issues down to the major components

Step 2 - characterize each component in terms that make sense for your discussion

Step 3 - show the relationships between the components

BUILD THE SCENARIOS OR CASE STUDIES

Step 4 - identify 2-5 case studies that illustrate the various options, positions, or alternatives

EXERCISE THE MODEL

Step 5 - Run each case study through the model noting the effect each time

EVALUATE AND CONCLUDE

Step 6 - Summarize and compare the results

Step 7 - Draw your conclusion and close the sale