The Project Chatter Podcast

In this week’s pod, Dale and Val were joined by Tim Creasey for a deep dive into Change Management & Project Management. Marco Frisenda joins us as a guest host. Tim Creasey is Prosci’s Chief Innovation Officer and a globally recognised leader in change management. His work forms the foundation of the largest body of knowledge in the world on managing the people side of change to deliver organizational results. The main topics we discussed on the podcast were as follows: Change management is how we prepare, equip and support our people through organisational change The main reason for the failure of Change Programmes is due to no one being able to articulate why the change is required Certain words instil fear in staff e.g. Transformation. Businesses need to be careful with the language they use in change programmes Prosci (pro-sigh) is short for Professional Science Projects that tend to focus on the people side of change tend to be more successful There are some factors that constitute effective change management on a project: Active sponsor participation   Middle manager engagement Open and honest communications   Intentional and structured approach If there is no one responsible for a task in a change management Programme, it is likely to fail Key question - What % of project outcomes is dependent on people changing how they do their jobs? Change projects tend to fare better when it is easy to articulate why the change is required The pandemic has shown businesses can change quickly if forced to e.g. moving to remote working within days Change management level is often based on adoption challenges There has been a large increase in the number of Change Management roles within organisations in the last few years, particularly in Australia. Most will sit within a Project Management Office ADKAR - (Awareness of need to change, Desire to want to change, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) Beckhard-Harris equation: Dissatisfaction with current state x Vision of what is possible at the end of journey x First steps. Needs to be > current state Here are links to some of the topics that were discussed: Prosci Talks - Back to the Basics | Prosci Tim Talks - YouTube Prosci Project Change Triangle - Prosci Change Triangle (PCT) Model Overview Prosci 3 Phase Process Prosci 3-Phase Process Prosci Integrating Change Management and Project Management Integrating Change Management and Project Management (prosci.com) Prosci - ADKAR Model - The Prosci ADKAR® Model | Prosci Beckhard-Harris Change Equation Proudly Sponsored by:  PlanAcademy.com JustDo.com InEight.com

This episode is proudly brought to you by PlanAcademy.com, JustDo.com, and InEight.com. In this week’s pod, we were supposed to speak to Dr. Dan Patterson but unfortunately, he is unwell. In his place, we welcomed Kasper Dixon to talk about positive Project Management, Lean and Six Sigma Kasper is a Programme Delivery Manager working for the Major Projects Directorate within Transport for London on the £5.6 billion Four Lines Modernisation Project. He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt trainer and is passionate about leading through example with positivity and encouragement. The main topics discussed: · There are many high performing projects that do not get the same level of management focus or recognition as failing projects · Positivity is something to focus on in personal lives not just in the workplace · Empathy is critical for leaders. Always try to understand the frustrations of stakeholders who are not onside immediately · Turn the saboteurs into advocates by being authentic and working tirelessly to reach the desired goals · Leadership perception has fundamentally changed over the last 30-40 years. Less stick, more carrot! · People simply do not respond to the stick. They want encouragement to achieve their goals · Leaders need to stop, look back and celebrate success when critical milestones are achieved · Tips for difficult conversations: Having the conversation is often the answer. Never avoid issues Identify why there is an issue Don’t be overly optimistic, talk about the issues and reflect on it · Six Sigma provides a structure for people to see a task from start to finish. It provides a structure for people · Unfortunately, there are no actual belts for achieving Six Sigma! · Six Sigma is applicable to every project and every function. · Construction industry is slow to embrace this, does not gain the right level of focus · Six Sigma training is available online. It is not essential to undertake in-person training. It does help to talk and work through the concepts with other collaborators · It will make you a more marketable employee · VANVA – Value Add / Non-Value Add · Always ask the 5 Why’s when reviewing a process. (it really is five why’s!) · Post-it notes are the best process mapping tool! · Always challenge words that begin with “re” – they are more likely to be processes that are wasteful Some of the topics that were discussed: 5 Laws of Lean Six Sigma - https://www.shmula.com/understanding-the-5-laws-of-lean-six-sigma/26626/ Minitab – Statistical process tool - https://www.minitab.com/en-us/ Miro – Online whiteboard - https://miro.com/ ----------------------------------------- Join us next week where we’re joined by Tim Creasey for a deep dive into Change Management & Project Management. For more information, blogs or to support our charities visit www.projectchatterpodcast.com If you'd like to sponsor the podcast get in touch via our website. You can also leave us a voice message via our anchor page and let us know if there's something or someone specific that you would like on the podcast. Stay safe, be disruptive and have fun doing it!

On this week’s pod, we welcomed Martin Murphy to talk about why schedule quality really matters. Martin Murphy has more than 31 years of experience working with multinational companies and participating in high profile international projects, such as the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and the Panama Canal extension. He is a Director with Hill International in Spain, dealing especially with industrial, manufacturing and technological projects. Since 1992, he has been working as Project Manager and in the planning and project control departments of Spanish construction and consulting companies dealing with Claims and controlling time, cost and risk elements of projects in Spain, Europe and Latin America.  The main topics we discussed on the podcast were as follows: · Projects should aim to focus as much planning work upfront as possible. This ensures you are not editing the schedule each week  · Good schedules have a 3% chance of finishing on time · A good schedule is like watching a video rather than a photograph · Setting up the activity coding is more important than setting up the WBS · A properly coded schedule is critical to successful delivery. You would be surprised how many people do not use this function · Coding can really help with developing and leading the discussion on schedule metrics. · People should think of a plan as a database. It needs to be organised logically to retrieve the right information at the right time. A good planner can only manage 200 activities a month. Anything more detailed may lead to being overworked and potentially degrade the quality of the schedule · Absolute duration and float duration measurements can be misleading. Should be % of remaining duration · Quick wins for managing quality schedules: o Start-Start 0 should not exist! Laziness in planning o Review the length of lags. o Never, ever use negative lags o Should only use SS/FF to draw summary bars o Activities should have a maximum of a 2 to 3-week duration. The main themes for effective schedule quality metrics are: number of predecessor/successor activities, activities with high float (always lack of logic), coding · The concept of contingencies understood within the industry, however, clients will rarely accept having contingencies in schedule submissions · Rolling wave planning is not always the best approach. Particularly on projects with an element of repetition e.g. construction of a multi-storey building · Top tips for avoiding failure in dispute resolutions: - Need to “nurture” a schedule to maintain quality in claims disputes. Need to bring in actual performance even if it is not in the baseline. Do not be afraid to add in more detail -  Do not tell lies in a schedule e.g premature completions of documents o Always present monthly/weekly reports. Even if it demonstrates poor performance. Some clients may not want to see it! - Ask if there are any claims in the weekly meetings. Knowledge is key! - Never combine more than one entity on the same activity (e.g. client and sub-contractor) - Ensure there is documentation to back up the schedule  The planner should never assume ownership of the schedule. It must be owned by the project manager  Resource loaded schedules can help to identify missing logic. If the histogram goes from horizontal to vertical, there is probably something missing! Here are links to some of the topics that were discussed: XER Toolkit – schedule quality software https://xertoolkit.com/ Synchro - https://www.bentley.com/en/products/brands/synchro ----------------------------------------- Join us next week where we’re joined again by Dr Dan Patterson, who will give us his insights into the future of project management technology. Be sure to download it! For more information, b Proudly Sponsored by: JustDo.Com InEight.Com PlanAcademy.Com

This episode is proudly brought to you by PlanAcademy.com, JustDo.com, and InEight.com. On this week’s show, we launch the Integrated Project Controls and Digital Insights report with Bryn Lockett and Adam Kingsbury from Logikal! Logikal has been conducting the annual Project Controls survey for many years and we are delighted to be launching the 2021 report on the Project Chatter Podcast! The survey is the largest global project controls survey that we are aware of so after you've had a listen grab yourself a copy via the link below. Bryn Lockett is the Co-founder & CEO of Logikal. Bryn drives strategic direction to the business to be able to extend the best service for LogiKal’s clients across the globe. Having accumulated over 20 years of global industry knowledge and experience within PMOs and Project Controls, Client and Contractor/Consultancy side, Bryn’s passion is continuing to look for improvements and leveraging industry experience to achieve better outcomes for clients and the industry as a whole. Adam Kingsbury is an Associate Director at LogiKal. Adam is a highly technically skilled planning and controls Consultant and the Head of LogiKal’s Technology Solutions Business Unit. He has experience in successfully implementing Capital Project Systems and Processes in various industries, including civil construction, oil & gas, and power generation, within the UK and Australia. This range of experience gives Adam a unique perspective on the processes, behaviours, and technology solutions that help to drive successful outcomes. Download the report for free by clicking on this link.  For more information visit ProjectChatterPodcast.com. 

On this week’s show, we welcomed Debbie Seunarayan to discuss the four moves in the VUCA world of projects. Debbie works with organisations and leadership teams across the world to help them navigate turbulent, volatile and sometimes chaotic environments. She has a particular interest in using creativity, scenario planning, wicked thinking and positive deviance to accelerate an organisation’s journey from strategy to reality, and to enhance its collective strategic thinking capability.  Debbie is the host of the What If Tribe and Shapeshifter Tribe podcasts so be sure to give them a listen. The main topics we discussed on the podcast were as follows: VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.  It dates back to the 1980s and was coined by the US Army War College to describe the state of the world at the end of the Cold War · VUCA is used to describe difficult and chaotic working environments. The main problem is that VUCA is talked about but not acted upon. The last 18 months is a good example of businesses having to work in an uncertain context. The more uncertainty there is can lead people to over managing situations that may not be controllable. Sometimes accepting uncertainty is the best option. The world is changing! Projects will be different in the next 3-5 years – this should be accepted as fact. Four Moves businesses can make in the VUCA world: o Strategy – using scenario planning and what-if scenarios. Create a range of possible paths or a supple strategy! o Culture – Create a compelling culture. Successful organisations have a culture that transcends all the sub-cultures o Innovation – Typically find a “wicked problem”. Find a far-ranging problem and use what-if planning to reach a “cause” that can drive the culture o Magical movement – Purpose based, cause-driven. Changing strategy during the project execution phase is costly.  It is worth stopping to properly assess what is going on around the project in order to review the strategy. As a leader, if the results from feedback loops tell you something different to what is expected then it is time to stop and review. Businesses need to be as inclusive as possible when working in an uncertain environment in order to engender staff to think like leaders. Rather than creating a solution, aim to fall in love with the problem. This can make shifts in the problem rather than solutions being outdated within weeks. Projects can tend to make problems transactional when the real issue stems from poor culture. People with ADHD can often be the best shapeshifters in an organisation! The best businesses have an identity and constantly seek to improve. Trust employees to be autonomous and manage risks. Aim to bring in cross-sector experts when working through problems to achieve a true diversity of thought. If there is a movement that goes in its own direction, it can be successful, however, it is likely to fail if the strategic and cultural implications are not considered. Businesses need to help people see the risks of going in the wrong strategic direction or not taking advantage of the latest market disrupters e.g. Blockbusters and Netflix Here are links to some of the topics that were discussed: Shapeshifter is available on Amazon SHAPESHIFTER: How to master the art of working with the future: Amazon. Proudly Sponsored by:  PlanAcademy.com JustDo.com InEight.com

In this episode, Dale and Val speak to Kristina Henkai about "How to sustainably implement 4D planning". 4D planning has been around for some time yet it has had a slow uptake. Kristina demystifies and explains how 4D planning is a logical choice for many project professionals. Sit back and take in Kristina's insight as she shares her experiences in this episode.  Kristina's Bio  Kristina has a decade of experience managing project data and teams on complex and large-scale ($500 million+) projects. Kristina, who supported 4D planning and digital practices at Bechtel, led the effort to develop a company-wide implementation guide that will be utilized on future projects as the standard for 4D planning and implementation. Kristina continues to cultivate her passion to transform the construction industry through knowledge sharing and sustainable implementations. She takes a people-focused approach to help make digital construction and 4D easily consumable for all.  Proudly sponsored by: JustDo.com PlanAcademy.com InEight.com 

In this episode, Dale and Val take a trip in time and discuss the most impactful and their best bits from season 3 of the Project Chatter Podcast. They talk about the topics, guests and some new exciting features, additions and guests coming in Season 4!  This is also a chance for the lads to say thank you to the podcasts previous guests, specialists and passionate people.  Proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com PlanAcademy.com InEight.com 

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about training, learning and capability partnering in projects. As projects become more complex and the need for competency across. many fields increase, we need to look at learning and development differently. We are joined by capability expert Michael Chachaty to talk about the different ways in which the past, present and future of learning needs to be addressed. Not one to be missed! Michael Chachaty joined blueVisions in 2001 some 19 years ago and has since managed major projects and grew and lead the Institute of Management to achieve the success that it has reached today. As a Director of the Institute of Management, Michael oversees all areas of its business from winning long term, major training contracts with large Government departments to ensuring quality delivery is provided by each of the team members. Michael has 19 years of experience providing project management capability and training services. This includes project management maturity assessments, capability building initiatives, process development and delivery of large scale technical and business projects for both Government and private sector clients, as well as Rail, Infrastructure, Construction and Telecommunication. Michael is an experienced facilitator, assisting clients in developing best practice methodologies, processes and systems tailored to meet strategic and organisational needs at a portfolio, program and project level. Project Chatter podcast is proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com       InEight.com      PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ 

In this episode Dale and Val lift the wrapper on Responsible Project Management, and how we can help support responsible and environmentally aware and conscientious project managers.  So what is Responsible Project Management? Their aim is to transform beliefs about project management.   Achieving project success is increasingly challenging and ensuring a project is successful requires attention to the project context as well as the parameters of cost, time and quality.  New understandings and new competencies are needed for project professionals to navigate the complexities of the social, environmental and economic context of a project.  Our purpose is to contribute ideas, events and resources to support the development of the profession of Project Management. Dr Karen Thompson is a Senior Academic at Bournemouth University Business School in the UK.  She is an innovative, award-winning educator who researches at the intersection of Project Management and Sustainable Business. Before joining academia, she worked in the field of information systems and technology in financial services, local government, and the voluntary sector. As an academic, Karen is co-founder of the Responsible Project Management movement that brings together researchers, educators, and project management practitioners from a range of industries. Her current research interests include the development of competencies for sustainable development, how projects are managed in refugee camps, and educational use of Lego® Serious Play®, Ketso Connect® and virtual reality. She is a Fellow of the Association for Project Management, Member of the Project Management Institute (UK), Associate Editor for Project Management Research and Practice, Fellow of Advance HE and Project Management Expert for the Centre for Project Management at the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Dr Nigel L. Williams, PMP is the Reader in Project Management and Research Lead in the Organizations and Systems Management Subject Group at the University of Portsmouth. Born in Trinidad and Tobago but now resident in the UK, Nigel worked in industry before starting his PhD in 2006 at the University of Cambridge. He has since worked in UK Higher Education. He is also the co-founder of Responsible Project Management (www.responsiblepm.com) and is co-editor of the forthcoming Handbook on Responsible Project Management. Nigel is an editorial board member of the journal "Project Management Research and Practice" and a member of the Education working group for Project Data Analytics. Dave is the UK Head of Programme & Project Management at Gleeds, a leading global property and construction consultancy. He is a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), a Fellow of the Association for Project Management (FAPM) and an ex Chartered Engineer (MCIBSE). Before joining Gleeds, he was with WYG for 20 years and is experienced in a range of building and infrastructure sectors. He is the APM Wessex Branch Committee Vice-Chair and a keen supporter of the wider APM Education Group. He is also a volunteer for the youth section of his local rugby club. Proudly sponsored by:  JustDo.com      InEight.com      PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols  #projectmanagement #responsibleprojectmanagement #futuremanagement

In this episode, Dale and Val talk about what it takes to effectively implement and a project management system, and more so how organisations need to adapt, adopt and grow with their chosen tool suite. Additionally, with so many tools out there, how to know when and what to implement. James Crowell shares his views all the way from Bangkok, Thailand.  James is an Industry Consultant for Hexagon, based in Bangkok. In this role, James supports companies in their evaluation of EcoSys, Hexagon’s enterprise project performance software. He has a proven track record of working with leading project delivery companies to eliminate disparate spreadsheets and point solutions in favour of an enterprise project performance system that provides a consistent platform to standardize processes and boost project outcomes. James has international experience implementing the project management systems and holds a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, a master’s degree in Business, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). JustDo.com     InEight.com     PlanAcademy.com - save $75 on any course with this link - www.planacademy.com/chatter/ #projectmanagement #projectcontrols #projectplanning #projectriskmanagement #projectledaership