Managing Projects in Chaotic Environments

Advanced Training to Manage Projects in Turbulent Situations

Benefits

This workshop enables project managers to:

• Communicate more effectively across functional silos, styles, and hierarchies.

• Persuade “opponents” to become supporters.

• Use the lifecycle models and the distinct skills that are important to each phase of the life cycle.

• Use risk management to engage your team and obtain support from managers in other organizations.

• Build and sustain a cross-functional team to deliver visible results.

• “Market” your project to get the right amount of attention and resources.

• Facilitate win-win negotiations in a cross-functional environment.

Increasingly, project and program managers must lead projects where change is constant, such as in product development, IT, and other challenging environments. Multi-site projects, multi-ethnic teams, and constant technology changes are also tumultuous.

You are in a tumultuous environment if you face challenges like these:

• An unplanned project is approved for immediate implementation.

• The scope keeps changing, in spite of your best efforts.

• The technology you are using is changing, or is still under development.

• You are under pressure to accelerate!

• You must constantly reduce cost, and deal with layoffs, reorganizations, and outsourcing.
   

Managing projects in chaotic environments requires flexibility, resourcefulness, and leadership.  Change does not go away!  This workshop will help you leverage change to create opportunities for you and your organization to improve performance.
 

It will give you tools you need to succeed when the more traditional project management approaches are not sufficient.  Moreover, where clear communication, breakthrough approaches, risk management, and outright cleverness save the day.  This workshop will provide the participants with the tools, methods, and motivation to lead projects where change is constant — and expectations are high!

Who should attend?

Anyone who is responsible for delivering measurable results, on time:

• Intermediate and advanced project managers

• Engineering Managers who must lead projects in the midst of turmoil

• Managers who must thrive in constant change

Call +1 503 293 3557 or email for more information.

We understand that every organization has its own culture and business objectives. Thus, we can customize Managing Projects in Chaotic Environments to achieve your goals. For example:

• We can provide minimum to comprehensive training with a wide variety of modules

• We can work with your team on a specific project

• We can tailor the syllabus with the topics of special relevance to your teams

• We can offer the class in a single session, or break it up into several smaller meetings

• We can train your trainers and facilitators

Workshop Outline

Introduction and Opening Exercise
 

Definition of Chaos
Project Complexity Model and Chaos Frameworks
Impact of chaos on projects and programs
 

Lifecycle Models and Chaos
Lifecycle, ad-hoc, waterfall, spiral, iterative, agile...
 

Advanced Communication Methods
Communication styles and languages
Protocols
“Speak accomplishment”
Ladder of abstraction and The awareness curve
Managing denial
 

Teams, Team Building and Chaos
How to build a team for chaotic projects
What is a high-performing team?
Phases of teams
 

The Definition Phase and the Fuzzy Front End
Taming the fuzzy-front-end
Everything starts and ends with the customer
Managing the Scope
Charters and Kick-off meetings
 

Scheduling and Planning
What’s in a good project plan
Overview of chaos control techniques
The 7 big planning questions
Frameworks for planning in chaotic environments

Managing Risk, and Contingency Planning
Planning, prioritizing, monitoring and mitigating risk
Critical success factors (CSF’s)
Karnaugh maps to identify and prioritize risk
Communicating status effectively goes beyond the Status Report
Proactive risk management
The process for proactive risk management
Running log & risk log

Applying Standard Planning Tools in Chaotic Environments
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Responsibility assignment matrix
Schedule charts
Parkinson’s Law
Managing the triple constraint to prevent chaos
Program metrics to control chaos
 

Navigating the Political Landscape
Four-step political action plan
The value of politics and political pitfalls
 

"Marketing" and Communication
Advanced execution and control techniques
Hierarchical project management
Glance management and MBWA
Reporting and metrics
Handling change
Negotiation skills
 

Contact us for more information.