When you are assigned as a PM for a project, you may find the umpteen number of tasks that need your attention and the objectives set by different stakeholders like the boss and the customer, very daunting. Face it with a ‘can do’ attitude. You are chosen to take up this responsibility because you have proved yourself in some manner. But you may remember some of your shortcomings and failures. Learn lessons from them but don’t let them bother you. There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly. What you were in the past or have been in the present should not stop you from what you can be in the future.
Project Communication Management
PMBoK definition of Manage Stakeholders :
Managing communications to satisfy the requirements of and resolve issues with project stakeholders
The scene from Ramayana:
When Sugriva saw Rama and Lakshmana coming towards his hiding place, he became jittery. He sent Hanuman to find out who they are. Hanuman talks pleasantly to the brothers and finds out who they are and why they are wandering in the forest. He makes a judgment call that they will help Sugriva and Sugriva can return the favor. He takes them to Sugriva and forges friendship between Rama and Sugriva.
Hanuman goes with the squad that travels in the southern direction, crosses the ocean and finds Sita in the palace garden of Ravana. Ravana and the rakshasis threaten her life. She was about to commit suicide. Hanuman tells the story of Rama and gains her attention. He knows that this is Sita. But he still asks her who she is and why she is crying and listens patiently to her lament and thus wins her trust. He consoles her with words, “Don’t cry.” He gives her the
signet ring of Rama and repeatedly assures her that Rama will soon come and rescue her.
He meets Ravana and warns him in the name of Rama and Sugriva. But seeing that Ravana is too arrogant and realizing that terror can be answered only with terror, he causes significant damage to the rakshasa army and burns down Lanka city to put fear in the heart of Ravana.
On return from Lanka he narrates to his monkey friends all the events that transpired and motivates them to fight for Rama to rescue Sita. Hanuman comes back to Rama and conveys the crisis situation Sita is in. He instigates Rama to
march to Lanka right away. He also describes the defense and security situation in Lanka to help Rama strategize his offence.
After Ravana was defeated, Rama asks Hanuman to convey the good news to Sita. Similarly when approaching Ayodhya in Pushpaka Vimana, Rama stops at a sage’s hermitage. He sends Hanuman ahead of him to Ayodhya to tell Bharatha that he will arrive the next day.
How the scene maps to the process:
Hanuman is remembered for his prowess to move mountains and cross oceans. He is equally remembers for his communication skills through which he connected all the stakeholders in this project and moved the events forward. Significant point to note is that he not only talks pleasantly and coherently but listens attentively and wins other person’s trust.
Last Friday I conducted a seminar at the Annual Managers Meet of a client held at Green Coconut Resort in ECR, Chennai. The theme was “Scaling the management maturity ladder”. I used the People CMM model to illustrate the management maturity ladder and emphasized the need to create level 5 leaders who have the professional will to get things done plus the personal humility to create future leaders for the organization.
This is a preview of
MS Academy at a client’s Annual Managers Meet
.
Read the full post (154 words, estimated 37 secs reading time)
Some of you could have wondered like I did as to why “Integration Management” is placed as the first chapter, first knowledge area in PMBoK because integrated project plan or PMP can be produced only after all other elements of planning are developed, right? We need to learn the other tools like WBS, Critical path, risk identification before we can learn EVM and change control, right?
But I guess the answer may be – An integrated view of the project should be developed even as we initiate the project and when we plan for the project. Risk identification has to happen even as WBS is developed to provide input to estimating the time and so on. So integration begins with project initiation, continues with planning, execution, control and closure. So my tip today is – Read integration management once before and once after the other 8 knowledge areas to get better insights into applying tools to arrive at the PMP.
