I do the focus thing!

The project management profession is sometimes difficult to explain. I'm pretty sure my wife and mother don't understand what a Project Manager does and my kids are probably just faking it.  And managing a PMO - forget it!   "So you manage the project managers??... and what do they do?"...

Project managers work to maximize a teams focus - that's what it's all about!

Ok maybe not all, but it is a big and important part of it. I had this thought at an off-site meeting with a colleague - (yes, we went off-site so we could have quality focus time on our project!).  It has been over a year since this came to me and it was so simple that I knew it could not be true and it would definitely not hold up to scrutiny.   I pushed it out of my mind but occasionally when it resurfaced I tested it and it came back a winner almost all the time. 

A project team needs focus to get their work done within the constraints of time, cost, scope, and quality that they are limited by.  The less focused, the less likely the project will succeed.

Project managers organize and clarify these constraints so that it is clear what the objectives are, when they need to be achieved, and what will it look like when it is done and what is driving the need for the project.  All of this leads them to understand what they should focus on. 

Making the case for PM = the Guardian of Focus!

The Project Management Institute (PMI) identifies 10 knowledge areas that collectively support a standard approach to project management. All of these areas are contributors to the goal of keeping the focus. 

Scope Management - Ensures that project teams are focused on the right things that contribute towards the project goals. Work on unnecessary or unapproved scope is time and resources focused on things that detract from the project goals.

Time Management - Ensures that the project resources understand what needs to be done by when and helps identify opportunities for re-focusing resources when project metrics indicate positive or negative variances from the planning estimates.

Cost Management - Managing project costs keeps the project in alignment with the budget and identifies risks to achieving the project's cost goals. If the projections on the budget are not within expectations the project needs to address the issue by getting more funding approved so the focus can be maintained, or by reducing the scope and aligning focus with the remaining work, or strategizing ways to achieve the work goals within the budget - and then re-focusing with a new approach. (See Issue Management)

Quality Management - The quality of project deliverables is often thought of as a component of the project scope which clarifies expectations of project owners and sponsors. Keeping an eye on the quality ensures that the project has focused sufficiently on the specifications of the deliverables and does not focus on unnecessary levels of precision. 

Resource Management - The addition or subtraction of resources and the assignment of work tasks which align with their skills and allows a project to leverage quality focus from the strengths and expertise that are inherent in the people or tools that are being used. 

Risk Management - Projects Managers have formal processes and tools to manage risks that could occur on a project. When we remove obstacles and impediments through risk management we allow for sustained focus on the planned work and objectives. When risks are realized and they become issues, the PM has often already developed strategies to deal with them to allow the team to return their focus to their work as quickly as possible.

Communications Management - Communications clarify where we are and where we need to go with an important objective of keeping everyone on the same page and you guessed it, focused! The PM uses communications to make sure that everyone knows their role and ensures expectations and goals are clear and that surprises are eliminated. This allows the team to continue their focus without interruption.

Procurement Management - This knowledge area is utilized to support acquiring and managing project needs that come from outside of the project team. Things that need to be purchased or acquired including product and services are evaluated, planned, budgeted and monitored. Formally and efficiently managing this process helps to prevent slowdowns, stoppages, and distractions and keeps the team focused on their accountabilities. 

Stakeholder Management - Managing the people side of a project through stakeholder and change management practices manages the risks associated with resistance, influence, adoption, and sustaining the project change.  Anyone positively or negatively impacted by a project change could prevent a project team from staying focused on the objectives.  This knowledge area acknowledges the people and their needs as the project brings about a future state. This is done in a way to mitigate risk and support the optimal speed of implementing the project. 

Integration Management - Bringing all of the project management processes together for the benefits of coordination of discrete activities is the goal of Integration Management. Managing the integration of project activities is the glue that allows the team to focus on their activities and understand how it relates to others from an order and priority perspective.

Final FOCUS

The ability to deliver on a projects' triple constraints of time, cost, and scope is done using the tools of project management.  These above knowledge areas and the tools and processes of Project Management all have critical attributes that support our ability to focus.  Not a small thing in an environment of high risk, complexity, and distraction!

- Focus on Great Things! 

Ed Sullivan