by Mike Ososki, PMP

Joe Perzel has 17 years of corporate IT and project management experience in a diverse array of industries. He teaches PM soft skills vs. mechanics, and describes himself as a bit of “marketeer.” The phrase “dark arts” certainly grabs our attention. What Mr. Perzel really means is politics, marketing, communications, and managing projects from all the angles: up, down, and across. In our first PMI Atlanta Dunwoody Dinner of 2017, he abundantly shared views on this.

Joe also calls it the dark arts because it’s hard to learn and master, and no course will make you a master. It’s not embraced by everyone, and there are no rules, instructions, or one way to do it—but if you do it well, people won’t know you’re doing it, and it will deliver results.

Do you want to become a master PM magician? Some elements you need:
    1. Communicate well at all organizational levels.
    2. Adapt to different personality styles.
    3. Understand the business/application.
    4. Network well, internally and externally.
    5. Apply just enough process and tools.
    6. Strive to foresee the future.
    7. Drive toward goals, yet flex as needed.
    8. Be organized and disciplined (enough).
    9. Be a good leader and listener, with a thick skin.

Some simple ways to screw up a project:
    1. Change the technology, infrastructure, or materials.
    2. Muddle the vision, priorities, or objectives.
    3. Work with an unengaged sponsor.
    4. Change key resources frequently.
    5. Don’t manage change control.
    6. Stress out to meet impossible deadlines.
    7. Work with insufficient funding.
    8. Communicate poorly, or not at all.
    9. Let your plan be non-existent, out-of-date, incomplete, and/or poorly constructed.
    10. Work with management, business leaders and/or a team that doesn’t understand the above.

Conversely, some ways to project success:
    1. Avoid too much “research,” or at least time-box it.
    2. Be sure everyone understands project goals and objectives—well enough to repeat them.
    3. Ensure an active sponsor from the start, who knows their role and has proper authority.
    4. Recognize potential changes early and take time to manage the decision process.
    5. Communicate well how the change management / backlog process works, and use it.
    6. Manage everyone’s expectations.
    7. Incorporate more contingency when you have less information.
    8. Communicate, communicate, and then communicate more.
    9. Use correct planning tools, and remember no two projects are the same.
    10. From the start, take time to develop the vision/goal/objectives with the sponsor and leaders, and then manage them, too, along the way.

Now onto politics. All organizations have them, so how do you play to succeed? Know that it’s different everywhere, but here are some universal keys:
    1. Build relationships with “influencers,” even if they’re not on your project.
    2. Know when and how to bring in the Big Guns.
    3. Find the “power” both inside and outside of your organization.
    4. Build trust and rapport with your team, sponsor, leaders, vendors, SMEs, and gatekeepers. In short, everybody. Look for things in common. Use different approaches for different people types.
    5. Don’t play “fair”...

Joe defines playing fair as always following the rules, and being totally transparent about everything—not good practice for successful PMs. Information is power, and you don’t have to tell everyone everything immediately. Instead, always use forethought. Manage communications to deliver the right message at the right time to the right audience. And it’s often not so much what you say as how you say it.

Can you bend the rules when needed? First, know the rules and guidelines, and the fences you need to stay within. Then, if you stray, make sure the risk is worth the reward. Be able to explain your thinking to yourself and to your boss/sponsor. If you’re considering to bend a big rule, don’t rush it. Maybe first run it by someone “safe,” knowledgeable, or risk-averse. Be prepared for the fallout.

Don’t be afraid to ask for the unusual, or something that would normally be refused. You can’t get a yes if you don’t ask. Prepare and craft your ask well—sell it. Don’t sell past “yes,” and be willing to take “no.”

Can you manage outcomes of others through influence? People are different—find out what motivates each person. Be inquisitive, ask questions, listen and learn. Maybe use personality profiling, like DISC or other tools. Some typical strong motivators include rewards, recognition, new technology/toys, avoiding or embracing risk, and freedom to self-manage.

Joe’s presentation was jam-packed with information. He shared additional thoughts about how to accelerate and improve your sphere of influence, market your project, communicate well, deliver bad news, know when someone’s lying, separating operations from new development, and the influence of organizational structures on projects.

Here is his Summary...

• Being successful doesn’t mean only playing by the rules
• Politics: know them and play it well
• Learn how to manage outcomes through influence
• Put on your marketing hat early and often
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Confirm and validate everything that impacts the project
• If you only learn a few things, remember to Ask a Question, Know Who Needs to Adapt in a Conversation, and Practice to Make Perfect.

PMI Atlanta’s Mentorship Program is rebooting this Fall. The program term will last about 3 months with a minimum of a 6 hour commitment. We are looking for mentors and mentees interested in participating.

     o Mentors may earn 6 PDUs AT NO COST, for sharing Project Management knowledge with another PMI Atlanta Member
     o Mentees have the opportunity to earn PDUs and gain knowledge from a PMI Atlanta member
     o Mentors and Mentees will be matched according to goals/objectives or area of interest

Initial registration for the Fall 2016 term will be limited to 10 mentors / 10 mentees. Space is limited and a waiting list will be created for those that do not make it into the Fall Program. If you are a current PMI Atlanta Chapter member, please email us to get started.

by Mike Ososki, PMP, Public Relations Committee

Six professionals: five expert recruiters + one Sr. Manager, all delivering abundant, savvy career advice. Last Monday at PMI’s Dunwoody Dinner, they poured it on, panel-style, answering job-related questions. LinkedIn and networking (including 2nd degree: “who knows who”) were heavily emphasized. Some individual highlights...

Lisa Leff, Director of Recruiting, Genuent
• Entrepreneur with 19 years IT staffing expertise; one of a group of triplets.
• Consultant vs. Direct Hire? Money and independence better as consultant.
• But Direct Hire gets benefits and more internal career growth opportunity.
• Be relevant in your resume; consider your audience.
• Network with people you know at prospective employer. Who knows who?
• Cite specifics during interview, not just generalities.

James Miskell, Deliver/Recruiting Manager, DISYS
• High Tech vertical specialist, Cornell grad. Agile practice continues to gain momentum.
• Network. Use good recruiters as good information source.
• Dress well in conservative attire for in-person interview.
• For each process, set expectations: next steps and timeline.
• Tell the truth in your resume; align it well with your LinkedIn profile.
• Be honest about compensation; generally, SMBs pay better than large companies.

Andy Schneider, Sr. Recruiter, Hollstadt
• Leads 7 recruiters, met girls in HS via ballroom dancing.
• Find ways to add value quickly; think like a consultant.
• Join and attend Meetups for your specialization; always be networking.
• Leverage relationships, eg: you know the hiring manager? Let your good recruiter handle it.
• Finding a good recruiter is like finding a good plumber.
• Pre-decide your priorities: compensation, location, etc.

PMI Atlanta is pleased to announce June's Volunteer of the Month – congratulations, Donya Sabaghi!!!

For the past several years Donya has served on the Industry Forums Committee for the PMI Atlanta Chapter. She has served as the Operations Manager for the Agile Forum where she zealously and seamlessly organized two years of successful events. She has been a steadfast and invaluable volunteer who helped with the forum during several job transitions, and as a result, one of her roles were actually found through the forum. Her previous success has led to her taking on the new challenge of Program Manager for the Agile forum. Undoubtedly, with such a laser like focus on engagement, she'll continue leading the Agile Forum to be successful and efficacious for the PMI Atlanta Chapter.

Moving forward, Donya looks to help as many project managers as possible learn more about and better understand Agile methodologies. She's a current Scrum Master with a passion for learning and "CANI", Constant And Never-Ending Improvement. So much so that she's currently studying and pursuing the PMI-ACP certification. A true consummate professional striving to grow and gain more knowledge so she can then provide valuable knowledge transfer to the members of our PMI Atlanta Chapter, how outstanding and altruistic is that.

Although Donya loves leading all things project management in the corporate world, in her leisure time she enjoys leading an active and healthy lifestyle. She achieves this by hiking, working out and her new hobby of choice, bike riding. In addition to being active she's also a bit of a "foodie", she loves food and enjoys cooking and trying out new cultural dishes. Donya's vast knowledge, passion for learning, knowledge transfer and éclat of volunteering with PMI Atlanta are all the qualities and then some that comprise this month’s “Exemplary" VOM".