There's no 'One Size- Fit-it-All' Methodology in Dealing with today's Business Complexity.
First of all, in
order to implement a strategy, you should have a methodology or structure in
place. The trick is to use, adapt or develop the right methodology. The
methodology must be adaptable to size and complexity of the organization and
the desired change. So don't implement a methodology that is oversized; you
cannot approach a complex strategic project or program with a one size
solution. Certainly there are some benefits of applying a loose process or
method. On the other hand, without a methodology in place you will have
chaos during the implementation
When implementing
strategy and strategic initiatives, you need much more than a project or
program delivery methodology. This is just one element that will handle the
mechanics of the projects or programs. At the top management level, complexity
thinking is even more important than complex methodology as it is too
prescriptive and it is not reflective of strategic management thinking or the
way top managers think or execute. Methodology is very much a tactical
level process and is very much the domain of the operational/admin level of the
organization.
"There is no one-size-fits-all” approach. Projects/programs are becoming more and more complex and uncertain; therefore no methodology can take all this into account. Setting up or identifying a project or program is crucial and if the team gets that right they will be half way to delivering a successful outcome. However, project/program managers are no longer technicians applying methodologies and "best practices". They adapt their actions to the specificities of projects/programs, and learn from their actions to improve. They may also need improvisational skills. Project/program managers are becoming pragmatic and "reflective practitioners".
The more important
factor is the agile business
processes required to plan the portfolio in accordance with the fiscal and
change capacity plans of the organization. Stripping out process specific
complexity and enabling application of fundamental PPM discipline is the key to
getting teams to actually do what is required for any project or program
regardless of methodology; all too often teams don’t apply the basics due to
conflicting process, methodologies and bureaucracy. To define the business requirements in step-by-step process terms,
such as how you want to work, compete and make profit in the future. To
identify, quantify and deliver the value proposition - all of the business
outcomes, benefits and value - during and after the end of the project. To plan
the change program to minimize resistance and maximize the speed of change,
etc.
Effective Project
Management needs to go hands in hand with Change management. Even methodology wise, the environment is
complex and full of politics. It also changes regularly and rapidly, meaning
any formalized method needs to be adaptable and somewhat fluid. Many projects
teams will circumnavigate the initiation, definition and planning stages, much
preferring the easy option of just doing what they think needs to be done. People
often resist the creation of clearly defined goals, objectives and success
criteria because they fear failure and prefer ambiguity - giving them the
opportunity to manipulate outcomes as the project/program progresses. So the effective PM approach takes
change management discipline to eliminate ambiguity, focusing on clarity and an
agreed set of success criteria along with a strong culture of execution without
all the fuss.
Thereof, complexity, politics, ambiguity. etc are all part
of human and business nature, methodology is only one dimension to solve the
strategic or complex initiative/project puzzles, it takes other dimensions such
as strategic management thinking, updated talent skills, agile processes and
culture of innovation & execution to improve complex project success rate.
0 comments:
Post a Comment