The importance of a shared vision

Post written by Jason Z., Project Manager at Ideaca. Read more about project management on his blog: Unnatural Leadership.

In a post from my series “Advice for Junior PMs," I touched on the concept of saying what you mean when working with your project team. The same concept should be applied when communicating outside of your project team.

There’s a fairly common graphic that gets passed around IT departments, and it’s somewhat self-deprecating. It shows that project teams tend to not understand what the customer needs – which is endemic of lacking a shared vision.

This graphic makes me cringe every time I see it.

As we all know, a project is a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product, service or result. However, more often than not, project teams take an “I know best” view of the world when designing solutions for their customer.

A strong project manager will not only sit with their customer to understand what is required, but will bring the whole project team along to understand as well. We all have our own perceptions and filters, and as a result may play broken telephone.

At this point, you may be asking if a shared vision is different from the project scope statement. It is, in that the shared vision is what the customer will see as the product, service, or result of the project, whereas the project scope is everything that will be delivered (including training, documentation, organizational change management).

To create a shared vision of what the project will produce (be it a unique product, service, or result):

1. Bring everyone to the table to ensure open communication

1. Define what is to be produced in simple language – do not say “we are going to produce a tree swing,” and leave it there, say “we are going to produce a tree swing, which is comprised of a tire hanging from a sturdy branch of a large oak tree by a piece of polyester rope.”

1. Involve the customer in design meetings. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) should definitely lead, but should be eliciting feedback so that the customer’s requirements are re-confirmed by the team.

1. Revisit the shared vision often. Ask your customer at difference acceptance testing points if what is being developed meets the shared vision.

Most importantly, communicate the shared vision often. Use it as the first line in your status reports, use it as part of your elevator speech, and when people ask you what you are working on, relay your project’s shared vision.

What are your tips for creating a shared vision? What have you seen work well? Do you have any stories of spectacular failures? Share your tips and stories below!

Creativity in Leadership

 

Creativity is the individual way in which our mind generates our views, ideas, style…or any other facet of the imagination. Through this comes expression which is the product of creativity and exists in many forms… one of which is leadership.

Being a leader is an immeasurable opportunity for growth.  You are being given the chance to influence and be influenced, learn as well as teach, and guide in your own unique way.  Of course there are some basic guidelines, but each individual will bring their own flare to leading a team to a successful finale.  What you choose to do and say will inevitably create an experience for everyone on the team, including yourself, and give you the capacity to profoundly shape a project and the people who are a part of it.  Your creative abilities may come as new strategies to tackling a tight schedule, your technical understanding, or sheer ability to make people feel important.  Wherever your inherent virtues lie, being put into a lead role will assure they have the chance to develop and shine.

It’s important to have a foundation to build upon, so consider these points the canvas for your creative endeavor:

Be confident  -  You must believe if you want others to believe in you. Carry yourself in a manner that exhibits strength, encourages excitement, and gives a sense of stability.  The way you step forward as a leader permeates the air around you, and has a profound effect on how people see you.  Their belief in your ability to guide instills confidence in them as well, and inspires great performance.  In the midst of this exchange of recognition is the creation of trust, which in the aspect of a project will go a long way.

Know your team - Just as you have your own way of being in the world, so do your team members and recognizing the exceptional qualities that each team member brings to the table will tremendously further your ability to attain success.  Pinpointing a person’s strengths in the beginning will allow you a broader insight down the road into delegating appropriately to utilize the team’s greatest powers when and where they are needed.  In doing this you are aligning with efficiency by pushing forward peoples talents. It gives people a sense of purpose when they know they are essential and why, it drives ambition and productivity and a sense of self. This is a great form of expression.

Know where you are headed – Visualize the end result, or final product.  Know in your mind that you will achieve the best final result possible and exceed expectations and how it will look when you’re there. If you can imagine it, you can make it and this is a force to be reckoned with.  Every project is susceptible to encountering obstacles along the way, but having a vision will help you navigate around roadblocks thus maintaining a clear path to success.

Keep in touch – Communication is vastly key to so much in life and especially in a collaborative situation.  The ebb and flow of a project is directly associated with straight up talking to and amongst one another.  The individual components that each team member is responsible for will amalgamate to form the final, tangible result and in order for that to happen there needs to be a streamline of conversation.  It is vital to not only deliver project updates to the team but to exchange thoughts and ideas. In doing so you are creating an environment of constant awareness of the state of the project as well as combining the team’s brainpower to solution any challenges that may arise. Not to mention it unifies the group socially, which can create an immensely dynamic team when they are called to duty.

When you consider these concepts and ignite them with a passion to do great work and do it with your own style, you can come through the other side having not only delivered an intended product, but having done it with the rare qualities only you possess.  Your character and personality make you a leader unlike any other seen before, or that will be seen.  It is the chance for you to leave a mark that will impact others in a positive way, and hopefully make a difference in some way…somehow.  Because once the project is over what people have left (besides a fantastic new…….[insert your project delivery here]) is the memory of how it came together and the people who made it happen.

- Joelle Thrasher, Portals & Collaboration Consultant

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Beyond Project Management to Project Leadership

Check out this recent post on Project Management from Ideaca Partner, Evan Hu's blog "at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership". Evan goes into detail about why projects fail, and what you can do to ensure future success.


Beyond Project Management to Project Leadership

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Budgeting & Planning for Strategic Leadership

National Executive Series: 

Budgeting & Planning for Strategic Leadership

Photo from 02/28/12 - Waterloo Event - Ideaca

Ideaca completed its first stop on the 2012 National Executive Series event tour: Budgeting & Planning for Strategic Leadership, yesterday in Waterloo, Ontario. This series is designed for senior finance leaders to connect and engage in the changing landscape of corporate finance and discuss new strategies for success in an increasingly competitive market. This event was originally sponsored by the Toronto Board of Trade as an offering to its 500+ partners, and has since been transformed into a national tour to accommodate the overwhelming demand for information on this critical topic.

Presenter Brad Blaskavitch said of yesterday's Waterloo event, 

"What a fantastic group of senior finance leaders - It was exciting to help provide them with ideas on budgeting, planning and forecasting as a catalyst for leading strategic change. I'm really looking forward to the next few stops on this tour, and connecting with business leaders from around the country."

Ideaca still has four more upcoming complimentary events and has limited spots open for those who still wish to register. Our next presentations are in Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver & Calgary. Please visit  http://goo.gl/UX2mD  for more information on the National Executive Series, or to register today. We look forward to seeing you out at an upcoming event near you!

   

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