In our brand new Project
World and World Congress for Business Analysts 2013 Speaker Spotlight
series, Malgorzata Kusyk, PMP, Senior Project/Program Manager at Thomson
Reuters, recently sat down with us to discuss what it takes to be a great
project manager and business analyst in an environment that is growing
increasingly competitive every day. Here is what Kusyk had to say:
IIR: How do you,
as a PM or BA, stand out in a crowd in this competitive business world?
Kusyk: Today slow
economic growth, shifting global market priorities and a push for innovation
all make for a very complex and risky business environment and put additional
emphasis on the need for excellence in project, program and portfolio
management. Research conducted with
senior project management leaders on PMI’s Global Executive Council found that
the most important skill for managing today’s complex projects and programs is
the ability to align the team to the vision of the project and design the
project’s organizational structure to align people and project objectives.
I have been managing very complex projects and some of them
were very successful and the other ones struggled, not because there were more
difficult but because there was no social engagement and collaboration between
stakeholders. The shift from micromanagement and looking at the project from a
task perspective to team empowerment, self-organization, self -motivation,
trust, authority and ownership are the key to success of today’s complex and
risky projects. So, I put a lot of effort to build a collaborative environment,
that means ownership of shared goals, links with a purpose and commitment to
one another’s success (T.E.A.M = Together Everyone Achieves More).
IIR: What are
characteristics of a GREAT project manager?
Kusyk: Projects
are people not equipment or PERT diagrams, so for me the most important
competency of a great PM is people focus. A great Project Manager builds
relationships, is interested in others’ success, is emotionally
intelligent, gives positive and constructive feedback, coach and teach other to
perform their best, is exceptional communicator and listener and provide formal
and informal recognition.
Moreover, focuses on process and outcome, and by
that I do mean “task focus,” control or micromanagement, but rather
keeping himself and team on track and motivated (trust). And last but not least
is a learner by nature – demonstrates attitude “what can I learn?” rather than
“who’s to blame?” recognize and respect cultural differences etc.
IIR: What are some tips you would suggest to someone who is just
learning Agile?
Kusyk: Agile is…
- Mind shift. Agile is about a fundamental shift in thinking - Agile is not a process is a mindset! There is a good presentation on this topic by Bob Hartman– Doing Agile isn’t the same as being Agile. The essential point is that we are “Doing Agile” when we follow practices and we are “Being Agile” when we act with an Agile mindset – set of values and beliefs defined in Agile Manifesto.
- Not a “silver bullet”. According to the survey results and recommendations presented in Agile Maturity Report – Benchmarks and Guidelines to improve your effectiveness,” a broken waterfall based project execution approach is not sufficient reason to commit to Agile. Agile is not a “silver bullet” or a solution to a mission critical initiative without any background in the approach. Agile will expose problems such as team dysfunctions. It doesn’t always fix them, but visible problems tend to be easier to solve.
- Bridging the gap between IT (or other departments) and the business.
- Business/Feature driven versus traditional task/activity driven.
- About self organization! Self organizing team makes decisions, commits to the work that they have to do, has few specialized roles, is cross functional, and organizes its own work.
IIR: How do you
as a PM or BA build leadership skills?
Kusyk: First, we
need to define the leadership skills? IBM study reveals that creativity is the
most important leadership quality followed by integrity and global
thinking (1500 corporate leaders, from 60 nations and 33 industries were
pulled on what drives them in managing their companies in today’s world).
Creative leaders are more prepared to break with the status quo of industry,
enterprise, and revenue models.
So how do I unlash creativity, build integrity and think
globally?
- I support and reword creativity & innovation. I’m open to new ideas and give the team freedom to try new ways of working or new tools or processes.
- Build trust and high level of honesty – I trust people until I’m proven wrong.
- Find or create some rituals or common symbols – special designed t-shirts, morning coffee together.
- Create positive work environment. Add some fun to work – integration/team building activities, interviews with team members on their passions, hobbies or achievements (both from work and outside).
- Formal and informal celebration. Birthdays, milestone/project accomplishments.
- To understand the cultural differences and make relationships I try to visit a country where my team members are based – very often at my own expenses. If cannot effort a visit try to find out more on cultures through reading, speaking to people or visiting a restaurant representing the ethnicity of a team member.
- Coach and mentor rather than control.
- Focus on personal development and knowledge sharing – encourage team members to taking part or speaking at conferences and then sharing the knowledge and experience with others.
IIR: How does a
successful PM communicate?
Kusyk: Clear communication
is the most important ingredient of managing projects. A successful
project has a communication strategy in place. I find a Communication Plan as a
very powerful tool and use it extensively. For me it’s crucial that there’s not
too much, not too little, but just enough communication in my project, that’
why it is so important to find out what are the needs and preferences of the
project stakeholders with regard to communication. A good Communication Plan
includes but not limited to: kicking off a meeting, defined roles and
responsibilities, project status meetings and frequency, identifying project
communications, defining the level of detail to the level of management, developing
communications standards and project de-briefing.
Stay tuned for more upcoming expert
interviews right here on the PW&WCBA
Blog.
Kusyk is a speaker at
the annual PW&WCBA 2013 in Orlando, FL in September. To register for
the event, click here: http://bit.ly/13sfECq
Amanda Ciccatelli,
Social Media Strategist at IIR USA in New York City, has a background in
digital and print journalism, covering a variety of topics in business
strategy, marketing, and technology. She previously worked at Technology
Marketing Corporation as a Web Editor where she covered breaking news and feature
stories in the tech industry. She can be reached
at aciccatelli@iirusa.com. Follow her at @AmandaCicc.
