2024 Leading Projects Week 3 PDF

Leading Projects in an Organizational Context BUSN 10276 Week 3 Professor Sandra Napoleone 1  Today Project Structures How projects start? McKinsey 7...

Leading Projects in an Organizational Context BUSN 10276 Week 3 Professor Sandra Napoleone 1  Today Project Structures How projects start? McKinsey 7 S structure framework Working with individuals and power structures Motivation 2  Project Structures Most organizations that are large enough will have a structured way of managing projects. There are many reasons to have a structured way of managing projects: Creates opportunity for success Learn what works and try to establish patterns and ‘best practices’ Establishes the foundation for ongoing learning for the organization, supports knowledge retention Continued training and development of PM skills and experience 3  Project Structures The purpose of structures and frameworks within organizations is to outline how to organize and deliver projects effectively. Normally, projects can be highly complex with many interdependencies. Many changes can take place during the project that can easily derail them. Setting up the project for success happens from the start. 4  How do projects start? What do you think? How does a project start in an organization ? 5  Project Structures Setting up the project for success happens at the beginning of a project. If the main players organize/create the right conditions, it is possible to achieve success. Right conditions include but not limited to: Project charter with appropriate details An active and participative project sponsor Appropriate budget/resources Team who is motivated and responsive to the project manager It is difficult (but not impossible) to recover a project that is already mid-stream and having issues. 6  Project Structures Setting up the project for success. McKinsey and Co. created a framework to help us think about the key issues project managers are managing. Provides a structured way of trying to minimize complexity and avoid major issues being overlooked. Transparency helps surface potential issues and provides ways of finding solutions. 7  McKinsey 7 S Model The key point of the model is that all the seven areas are interconnected and a change in one area requires change in the rest of a firm for it to function effectively. goal of the model was to show how 7 elements of the company: Structure, Strategy, Skills, Staff, Style, Systems, and Shared values, can be aligned together to achieve effectiveness in a company. In the McKinsey model, the seven areas of organization are divided into the ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ areas. Strategy, structure and systems are hard elements that are much easier to identify and manage when compared to soft elements. On the other hand, soft areas, although harder to manage, are the foundation of the organization and are more likely to create a sustained competitive advantage. 8  7 S Model Represents the connections between seven areas and divides them into ‘Soft Ss’ and ‘Hard Ss’. The shape of the model emphasizes the interconnectedness of the elements. 9  7 S Model Strategy - High level requirements and the means to achieve them Structure - The organizational arrangement that will be used to carry out the project Systems - The methods for work to be designed, monitored, and controlled Staff- Selection/recruitment and leadership who will be working on the project Skills - The tools/abilities/background available to the project manager and the staff Style/Culture - The underlying way of working and inter-relating within the work team or organization Stakeholders - Individuals and groups who have an interest in the project process or outcome 10  7 S Model Strategy is the first on the list of the 7 S’ to consider. Strategy is the high-level consideration of the objectives, desires, and constraints. It focuses on what the business is seeking to achieve and prioritization of what will be worked on by the team. It will guide all future conversations and decisions. Strategy will influence the PM’s thought process and subsequently their decisions around the project. 11  7 S Model Knowing the culture of the work team, their abilities and potential problems helps alleviate some potential problems. Being aware of the project organizational structure can solve issues before they happen. For example, a project manager may uncover that she/he does not have formal authority over a group who are critical to the success of the project, in this case the PM will struggle when assigning them tasks since they aren’t in a position to assign tasks directly. 12  7 S Model The McKinsey 7S framework is often used when organizational design and effectiveness are in question. It is easy to understand the model but much harder to apply it to your organization due to a common misunderstanding of what should well-aligned elements look and be like. 13  Working with individuals and power structures Power structures within companies are sometimes based on cliques (groups of employees who have developed bonds for various reasons such as length of time employed in the company or other common elements. Or certain teams feel they are ‘it’ for the organization These can often create challenging power dynamics for the teams we work with 14  Working in power structures Many of the same techniques discussed for dealing with individuals can also serve to help the new project manager in dealing with issues within an organizations’ power structures. 15  Working in power structures Learning the power structure is difficult to find out before you join the company. How might you do this? Before Or After you join? 16  Working in power structures The power structure may limit what you can achieve in your role as project manager. True or false? 17  Motivation In Organizations How does motivation fit into the conversation we’ve just had about power structures? What is the connection? 18  Motivation, Individuals, Teams People want to be part of something, understanding what motivates individuals and teams is important to PM’s because people deliver projects and ideally work in ‘harmony’ It’s not a one-sized fits all, there are many motivating factors. Treating each employee as an individual and getting to know them will pay dividends for the PM and the team. Knowing how you can improve an individual’s engagement (performance) by improving their motivation is important for a project manager. 19  Individual Motivation motivation - noun a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way: "escape can be a strong motivation for travel“ Source Oxford dictionaries Motivation can be difficult, it's important to recognize that everyone is motivated differently. We can be self-motivated, external motivated by community(family, friends, the community at large) money, ego. People show up do their work focused on outcomes that matter for the organization while in the process they are also personally motivated to do so. True or False ? 20  Individual Motivation Ask yourself, how do you as a project manager motivate individuals and the team? What motivates you? How are motivated when working with a team? 21  In class group exercise What are some ways you can work with people to motivate them? What have you done in the past? Or how have you been motivated? 22  Summary Project Structures How projects start? McKinsey 7 S structure framework Working with individuals and power structures 23  Next week Virtual Motivations theories – individuals and teams Review after class activity 24