Stephen Wise Bloghttps://integrationprofessionals.com/BlogProjects Drive Change | Stephen Wise | Integration Professionalshttps://integrationprofessionals.com/Blog/projects-drive-changeStrategyWed, 27 Jan 2021 15:03:36 GMTProjects Drive Change. Moving from Current State to Future state is the selection of priority projects designed to increase business value.<p>Why you need a Project Guide in One Simple Picture.</p> <p>Projects Drive Change. Moving from Current State to Future state is the selection of priority projects designed to increase business value.</p> How to be a great leader | Stephen Wise | Integration Professionalshttps://integrationprofessionals.com/Blog/how-to-be-a-great-leaderStrategySun, 24 Jan 2021 17:21:25 GMTThree skills you can work on. Vision, Clarity, and Effective Decision-making.<p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Colin Powell, the retired US Four-Star General says to remain calm and be kind. He also has a rule - to have a demanding vision. Vision, he says, is our destination.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <h1 style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Have a Vision of the future</span></span></span></h1> <h2 style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Vision, what is it? Where do I find it?</span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Vision is not “Establishing vaccination guidelines and agreements, activating a network of furloughed retail workers, and implementing a military supply-chain technology for transportation and storage.” That is the strategy.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Vision is not “Vaccinating all the citizens against COVID by September 2021”. That is a goal, that will be driven by the Strategy.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Vision is higher than that. Vision is not something that exists today. It is something that is imagined that could be created in the future.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Developing a compelling vision is done by looking into yourself. What are your beliefs? What do you believe is possible? Figuring out who you are, why you are here, and what is most valuable to you.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Cultivating vision is a process. It does not emerge during an off-site, or from reading leadership philosophies, or watching an inspiring movie.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">To be visionary you need to set aside significant time to percolate these questions.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <h2 style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Provide Clarity of desired results</span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Bruce Lee may have said, “The successful warrior is the average person, with laser-like focus.” Results require change. Without change there is no result. Motivating anyone to change is expecting them to work towards the unseen and unknown. At every level of challenge this is a fundamental issue that needs an answer every day.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Giving your team the answer they need is not difficult, your job is to provide clarity.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">You need to communicate to your team the information they need to risk working on the unseen and unknown.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Explain to your team what is most important. Work with them so they understand why the choices made are the best choices. When the team is aligned on what is most important they will have clarity on the desired results.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <h2 style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Demonstrate effective Decision making</span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Nelson Mandela said that “Action without vision is only passing time. Vision without action is merely daydreaming. But vision with action can change the world.” Standing on the shoulders of giants, I say the sum of the actions will not be productive without a robust decision-making process.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">The problem with change is that, only after starting, on the way to achieving results, does the solution emerge. The detail is previously unknown on what is required, how it will come together, and what is needed. Leaders who make the mistake of communicating their vision from on high, hiring the best team, and delegating all responsibility for results will be in for a surprise.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Leaders need to reserve time to develop vision and they need to be effective at engaging others to deliver lofty goals. However, do not let go of the steering wheel and don’t look away from the dashboard.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">You need to ensure that everyone is aware of and reliant on a process for obtaining your decisions on how the strategy and goals are to being met. You need to ensure that you are aware of and broadly communicating key decisions to all stakeholders. If you miss this – you will more than likely not recognise the final product.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <h2 style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">Questions for you to ponder.</span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <ol> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">What would be an example of a Vision that is supported by the vaccination goal and strategy mentioned above?</span></span></span></li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">How have great leaders from demonstrated these three skills of Vision, Clarity, and Decision-making? (e.g., George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Captain Kirk)</span></span></span></li> </ol> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">STEPHEN D WISE</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">INTEGRATION PROFESSIONALS</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:107%"><span style="font-family:Aptos,sans-serif">DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE TRACTION</span></span></span></p> Delivering Business Transformation Strategy | Stephen Wise | Integration Professionalshttps://integrationprofessionals.com/Blog/delivering-business-transformation-strategyStrategyTue, 08 Oct 2019 14:55:46 GMTAn increased importance in the strategy delivery does not mean that strategy design is less important – it means that executives must give equal personal priority and attention to designing the right strategy as to delivering.<p>Michael Porter’s books on Competitive Strategy and Competitive Advantage led me to embrace Project Management. That is, I have frequently said, a company that invests in Project Management is making an investment in their competitive advantage. Less frustration delivering value, less disruption to teams, improved engagement, etc.</p> <p>Porter’s Five Forces and the SWOT analysis are now inadequate as concrete underpinnings for strategy design. Strategy is still important, but the amount of change driven by disruption, innovation, and transformation means that the interpretation and implementation of Strategy – which occurs during the delivery – requires a high-touch feedback loop.</p> <p>An increased importance in the strategy delivery does not mean that strategy design is less important – it means that executives must give equal personal priority and attention to designing the right strategy as to delivering.</p> <p>Here are three key tips for executives to stay engaged in the delivery phase of business transformation strategy. Governance – Decision Making – Planning & Re-planning.</p> <p>Governance – Build a governance structure that reinforces the accountability and responsibilities for the vision. Ensure the team is adequality resourced in terms of experience and availability. Review and address risks and interdependencies at the beginning and periodically and through the realization of accumulated benefits. Insist on a complete set of regularly reported metrics and milestones.</p> <p>Decision Making - Move quickly to re-prioritize and remove roadblocks that are uncovered despite a lack of complete information or analysis. Accept changes to time and budget milestones based on new information from the working team.</p> <p>Planning & Re-planning – The less time you have available – the more important it is to have a robust plan. Don’t forgo detailed planning, but in today’s business environment planning and re-planning must be rapid and agile. Documenting tasks, task owner, and interdependencies are as important as schedule and budget. Issues impeding success should be discussed regularly and recommendations to tweak the plan fed up to the executive team in order to ensure alignment and ongoing support.</p> <p>Delivering strategy is like going on an expedition through a deep jungle. Every so often you will get to a hilltop and be able to asses how things went so far and what new landscape is coming in to view. An executive that spends time and money crafting the strategy needs to protect her investment by staying available and engaged for those hilltop moments.</p> <p>Stephen Wise</p> <p>Integration Professionals</p> <p>Dramatically Improve Traction</p> Re-Frame Project Success for the Strategic Businesshttps://integrationprofessionals.com/Blog/re-frame-project-success-for-the-strategic-businessStrategyMon, 27 Jan 2014 08:17:10 GMT(A) Did we meet the schedule goal? And (B) Did we meet the budget goal?<p>Project success is most often measured by answering two questions. (A) Did we meet the schedule goal? And (B) Did we meet the budget goal? A good indicator project success will improve over time is periodic review of the Time and Budget Dashboard by management. This approach is valid but not sufficient for framing project success over</p> <p> the long-term. </p> <p><a href="/Portals/0/Images/inprof/Blog/time_budget_dashboard5.png?ver=2019-06-03-152912-090"><img alt="Time and Budget Dashboard Integration Professionals Stephen Wise" class="size-full wp-image-300 " src="/Portals/0/Images/inprof/Blog/time_budget_dashboard5.png?ver=2019-06-03-152912-090" style="width: 364px; height: 75px;" title="Time and Budget Dashboard" /></a> </p> <p>Time and Budget Dashboard[/caption] It is very common that once a project is closed, it falls off management reporting dashboards. This is a serious mistake! Strategic success is dependent on the outputs of the project, not the inputs of Time and Budget. The outputs / benefits of the project are measured after project close and take the dimensions of customer satisfaction and business success. It will take several months or quarters after the project is finished until customer satisfaction can be measured. It will take even longer until business success can be measured. By re-framing the measurement time-horizons for projects and their outputs, we can provide more effective visibility and accountability at the management level for the strategic success of projects. The re-frame is to include medium-term and long-term results as part of project tracking and reporting.</p> <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Team success</span></h6> <p>can be measured in the Short-term. That is Time, Budget and other metrics such as scope, quality, stakeholder engagement, and others.</p> <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Customer success</span></h6> <p>can be measured in the Medium-term. Customer success is the metrics that indicate how well the product is meeting actual needs and how well the product is providing customer net benefits.</p> <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Business/Strategy success</span></h6> <p>can be measured in the long-term. Business success is the metrics that indicate how well the overall strategy is benefiting the enterprise, such as market development and risk </p> <p>profile. </p> <p><a href="/Portals/0/Images/inprof/Blog/success_horizon1.png?ver=2019-06-03-152912-167"><img alt="Measurement Time Horizons Integration Professionals Stephen Wise" class="wp-image-284 " src="/Portals/0/Images/inprof/Blog/success_horizon1.png?ver=2019-06-03-152912-167" style="width: 541px; height: 316px;" title="Measurement Time Horizons" /></a> </p> <p>Measurement Time Horizons[/caption] Organizations have made great strides implementing project methodology and management reporting on time and budget. However a systemic flaw is introduced by reporting only short-term project success measures. There is correlation between success in short-term and success in the long-term but there is more to the picture. We need to re-frame and extend the time horizon for tracking project success to include medium and long-term measures. By linking Customer (medium-term) and Business (long-term) actual measures to project reporting we will gain improved insights on the projects that have either advanced or held-back the realization of strategic objectives.</p> <h4>Stephen Wise </h4> <h4><a href="http://www.IntegrationProfessionals.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="Integration Professionals Web Site">http://www.IntegrationProfessionals.com/</a></h4>