Home Learn Project Mgmt Blog Templates Take a Break News Services About John Langlois  • Credentials  • Personal Bio

  John's Mailbag

1. Why do you use a railroad metaphor to explain Project Management?
2. Who’s the dog in the picture?
3. Should I get PM certified?
4. What is a project?
5. What’s the difference between a project, a program, and a portfolio?
6. What’s the difference between a project and a process?
7. What’s the difference between an issue and a risk?
8. My team keeps “surprising me” with bad news. I understand that bad things are going to happen to good people (like me), but why don’t they give me any warning?
9. My boss is a dolt. He never follows my recommendations. Instead, he makes all of his decision on “gut instinct.”  Unfortunately, his gut doesn’t inspire confidence. How can I get him to listen to my team?
10. I’m under high stress at work. I sometimes blow my top at my team. I feel bad afterwards. How can I control myself?
11. I want to roll out a project management application with my team.  Which tool(s) do you recommend?
12. My husband is working too much.  How can I get him to come home and spend more time with the kids?
13. I’m the guy working crazy hours that my wife wrote you about.  I’m always tired.  I’m making stupid mistakes. What should I do?
14. Your reading list in your personal bio says that the bible is a book of wisdom. Prove it.
15. Will you be my mentor?
16. I need a pick me up.  Do you have any suggestions?
17. What’s your most important tip?

Q1: Why do you use a railroad metaphor to explain Project Management?
My current employer, IBM, got its big break by watching a train conductor punch railroad tickets. Read more. The railroad metaphor works well to describe any project delivery methodology.

• The project manager is a lot like the conductor on a train who supervises rail service to ensure that the train runs efficiently and on schedule.
• Most projects pass through milestone station stops before they reach their final destination.
• Once you lay down delivery tracks, they are expensive to rip up and move.
• Projects are difficult to stop (cancel) once they reach cruising speed.
• Some teams actually feel like they are "working on a railroad ... all the live long day!"

It doesn’t matter what process you employ to deliver your project – Agile Development, Extreme Programming, Waterfall, Spiral, Seat-of-Your Pants, Rapid Application Development – they all have merit. Keep doing whatever works for you. The universal principles in Project Wreck will help you shepherd projects through any process. And since it is highly unlikely that you are working on a real railroad, the train metaphor will cause you to reexamine your hardware, software or service business from a fresh angle.

Q2:  Who’s the doggie in the picture?
That’s Owney the mail dog.   You can read his fascinating story here.  Click Here   I have an affinity for Owney because like him, I sometimes feel like biting someone.

Q3:  Should I get PM certified?
Yes.  Everyone should suffer as I have suffered.  You can start on your path of self flagellation here.  PMI

Q4:  What is a project?
Projects are the delivery vehicle for every product and service in the marketplace. When you go to a store and see something on a shelf, ask yourself, "How did it get there?" The answer is that a project took it from inception to realization. By formal definition, projects are temporary endeavors to execute a defined set of deliverables. 

This cold definition ignores an important principle:  superior project managers recognize that they are commissioned to develop the team that delivers the project. Let's give a tip of the hat to soft skills.

Q5:  What’s the difference between a project, a program, and a portfolio?
A project is a single endeavor. A program is a collection of projects that share some common attribute. A portfolio is the entire a collection of products, projects, services, or brands that are offered for sale by a company. Visually, the hierarchy might look like this picture to the right where each project is represented by a triangle with a triple constraint of scope, time and cost.

Q6:  What’s the difference between a project and a process?
Projects are temporary endeavors to create a defined set of deliverables. Processes are the ongoing way you do things.

Q7:  What’s the difference between an issue and a risk?
This is a great question because these two basic terms are often misused. A risk is an event that may or may not occur sometime in the future. An issue is a “live” problem that needs immediate attention. Stated differently, risks transform into issues when their probability of occurrence reaches 100%.

If you have an issue, follow the nearest exit signs to get out of the building or put out the fire immediately.  Don't stare at it.

Q8:  My team keeps “surprising me” with bad news. I understand that bad things are going to happen to good people (like me), but why don’t they give me any warning?
Do you encourage proactive risk reporting on your team? When an issue surfaces without any headlight warning in a functional area, ask the team member to explain “Why were we blind sided by this risk?”  There may be a good reason. You can’t expect people to anticipate every risk event. That’s why there is a thing called unknown/unknown risks. On the other hand, if one member of your team is caught off guard repeatedly, you may have an ostrich on your team who avoids danger by refusing to face it.

We must recognize that individuals may be reluctant to surface a serious risk. Perhaps they feel that they can mitigate the risk or resolve the issue before it gets completely out of control. How often do we hear, “I didn’t want to bother you with a potential problem?” or “I thought that I could resolve it before it got out of hand?” State plainly that there is no valid excuse for turning off the risk radar. As Meredith and Mantel would say, “The bearer of bad news must not be punished … the hider of mistakes may be [punished] with impunity.”

Q9:  My boss is a dolt.  He never follows my recommendations.  Instead, he makes all of his decision on “gut instinct.” Unfortunately, his gut doesn’t inspire confidence.  How can I get him to listen to my team?
We need to get to the source of the problem.   Ask yourself, “Why would your executive ignore you?”

• Maybe your executive doesn’t trust you. Have you earned a reputation as someone who makes poor decisions? For critical project decisions, use this Decision Checkpoint template to draft a proposal that balances scope, time and cost parameters for the project. Show several alternatives to resolve a problem and then make the case that one option is superior to the others.
• Maybe your executive is intoxicated by power. Can you find ways to share it? One way to do this is by inviting the executive to define the rules for the game before your team searches for the best solution. For example, invite your executive to choose which parameters of the project’s triple constraint are more important or let the executive assign the weights to business objectives before you prioritize projects against them.
• Maybe your executive knows something that you don’t. If that is the case, ask him to share that information with you so that you fully understand the nuances of effective decision making. In effect, you are asking him to share knowledge … and knowledge is power.
• Maybe your executive is a megalomaniac. In this case, find another job unless you can tolerate being his lackey.

Q10: I’m under high stress at work . I sometimes blow my top at my team. I feel bad afterwards. How can I control myself?
First apologize to your team for your past transgressions. Start clean. Next, think about what triggers your tirades. Did someone make unreasonable demands on your project? Did someone yell at you for missing a commitment? In these situations, your first reaction may be to deflect your anger on someone else. Don’t do it. Go outside and yell at the top of your lungs, but never scream at people on your team (or any human being for that matter). Two wrongs don’t make a right. Set the standard for level headed reaction to bad news and always try to limit the collateral damage to your team. This will keep them focused on their tasks.

Q11: I want to roll out a project management application with my team. Which tool(s) do you recommend?
I am not in the business of making recommendations about tools. Use whatever works for you. No, let me restate that. Use whatever works best for your team.

That said, whichever tool you choose, pilot a limited number of functions first with a trusted team member who has a high tolerance for pain. You will find that you will only use 20% of the functions. Spend time training your team on how to use those few high click functions.

Q12: My husband is working too much. How can I get him to come home and spend more time with the kids?
That is a tough question. I am not sure that I’m qualified to answer it. But I can tell you how my wife readjusts my thinking when I become obsessed with work.She asks me to prioritize my time into three buckets. She patiently “guides” me until I properly prioritize them in this order: God, Family, Work. Then she asks, “How are you allocating your time to each bucket?” I usually self regulate after this self assessment.

Q13: I’m the guy working crazy hours that my wife wrote you about. I’m always tired. I’m making stupid mistakes. What should I do?
Listen to your wife. Recharge at home with your family and friends. You are no good to your manager or your team in your current stupor. Break the cycle. Prioritize your tasks at work and ask your manager if you are working on the right things in the right order. Do you both have the same priorities? Delegate enough low priority tasks to accomplish the high priority ones. Tell him or her that things at the bottom of the list may slip. You’ll find that you are usually safe as long as you don’t surprise your manager by letting things drop without warning.

Q14:  Your reading list in your personal bio says that the bible is a book of wisdom. Prove it.
The bible is not a business book, but the principles it contains can be applied to your workplace to great affect. For example, the bible is brimming with valuable counsel on how to get along with others. And here are just a few specific principles that apply directly to project management:

Q15:  Will you be my mentor?
No.  I don’t have the time. But I will offer a few tips to guide your search. Pick a mentor that will schedule adequate time for serious discussions. Pick a mentor that will listen to your experiences and not philosophize or talk at length about his or her past projects unless they have relevance to your question or issue. Pick a mentor that will encourage you without taking responsibility for the results. Mentors that “do the work” stifle your personal growth.

Q16:  What’s your most important tip?
Don't be afraid to counsel. For practical tips on how to counsel effectively, see the chapter in my book titled "Lead the Crew." Get your own copy here.

Q17:  I need a pick me up.  Do you have any suggestions?
If you live in the triangle area of North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), then Click Here and hire Christine to redesign one of your rooms.   It will change the way you feel about your personal space.  If you live outside the triangle area, treat yourself to something from our general store. Click Here