Project Management Excellence for SMEs: Part II

Project Management Excellence: Low Budget High Impact Strategies briefly discussed the importance of adopting a simple, tailorable, project management (PM) methodology and inexpensive, possibly cloud based, PM tools. Since then many people have asked for ideas on which methods and tools to evaluate and also guidance on how to perform the evaluation. So how should Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) select PM Methods and Tools, and which methods and tools should they consider?

Evaluating PM Methods and Tools

The same way you would select any other service or product. Start by doing some basic research so you understand what a PM method is and isn’t; what PM tools typically do; and which methods and tools are used by others in your industry. Then define your needs, what functionality do you require? What level of support and training do you need? How much can you afford to spend? Set up a spreadsheet with all of your requirements listed to keep track of your evaluations. Next select a number of different methods and tools to evaluate. Use the product web sites, vendor publications such as product fact sheets, etc. to evaluate your selections against your requirements. Narrow down your selections to a shortlist and arrange a trial or demonstration. Make sure you thoroughly check out licencing, terms & conditions, support and fees & charges before making your decision.

Selecting a Simple PM Method

A Project Management Methodology is a set of defined, repeatable, processes for managing projects from their inception to their conclusion. Typically it will include a PM lifecycle, processes, role definitions and templates. Project managers need a methodology that is simple to use, tailored to their organisations business processes, supports the core PM processes and doesn’t over-burden the PM with unnecessary tasks and documentation.

There are as many PM Methods available, some are free, some aren’t actually PM methods, some can be purchased online and some can only be obtained by engaging a Consultant to tailor and implement the methodology for you. Here are my thoughts on some of the more common methods:

• Free methods – buyer beware, some of the free material is good, some is not and some is just misleading.
• Inexpensive methods – personally, I like Method 123. Its high quality, covers all the essential requirements, is supported and has a range of licencing options to suit most small organisations and budgets. There are other similar methods available for purchase and download.
• Prince2 –It’s freely available, is a very comprehensive methodology and can be used for projects of any size. But, it’s a high formality management approach which will not suit all organisation cultures; it must be tailored to suit your needs, especially for small projects; training can be expensive; it doesn’t come with any templates. If you want to use Prince2 I would strongly recommend engaging a Prince2 Consultant and purchasing Project In a Box.
• Methods provided by PM Consultants – engaging a PM Consultant to tailor and implement a PM methodology for your organisation is a practical way of gaining the expertise required. You should still evaluate the methodology, training, support and costs against your requirements. Also look out for intellectual property issues.
• PMBok – this isn’t a methodology, it’s a framework for project management. Many methodologies have been developed based on PMBok.
• Agile, Scum, XP, Waterfall, RUP – these are all software development methodologies, not to be confused with PM methodologies.

In Part III of this article I’ll discuss selecting an inexpensive PM Tool Suite for SMEs. In the meantime I’d like to hear from you – what is your preferred PM Methodology? Why, what are its pro’s and cons? Have you tailored it and why?

What Does Brain Based Learning have to do with Strategy Execution?

I attended a seminar on Brain Based Learning recently. We learnt about the latest thinking on how our brains work, how we learn and why we learn. One of the key takeaways for me was that static, lecture style learning doesn’t work for most of us. What does work is interactive, multi-dimensional methods supported by 'Learning 2.0' technologies. The seminar also got me thinking, again, about how critical learning is to an organisation’s success.


We all know that today’s turbulent, fast paced, ever changing environment means businesses must constantly change to survive and grow. The most successful businesses are ‘masters of change’1, they know constant change is essential, they excel at creating a compelling shared vision and they excel at managing change. They also have people who are experts at acquiring new skills, creating new knowledge and transferring that knowledge to others. When it comes to strategy execution, ‘masters of change’ are 10 times more successful than other businesses.

These 'masters of change' are Learning Organisations. The core principles of a Learning Organisation are deeply embedded within their culture, making these organisations more open to new ideas, less resistant to change and more capable of supporting the individual and team learning required to make change successful. When it comes to Strategy Execution masters of change already have the organisation capability to learn, change and succeed.

How do you become a Learning Organisation? Adopt these six strategies:

1. Commit to the fundamental principles of the Learning Organisation from the top down and create a culture that is supportive of learning. Business leaders need to demonstrate a willingness to learn, create a safe supportive environment for everyone to learn in and create a compelling vision of the business as a Learning Organisation.

2. Make Learning & Development a strategic priority. Learning & Development (L&D) is far more than the provision of one-size fits all training for your employees. It is a strategic workforce capability that ensures you have the right people, with the right skills, performing the right jobs. Make improving Learning & Development a priority for everyone, not just the HR folks. Build a plan and provide the resources necessary to make it happen

3. Support individual learning. Organisations only ‘learn’ when the individuals within the organisations learn. L&D strategies such as competency based assessments and individual learning plans allow organisations to identify gaps in essential competencies and focus individual learning on supporting business goals. However, they must be backed up with the necessary learning resources to be effective.

4. Provide flexible Learning 2.0 options instead of sending people to expensive offsite classroom training. Strategies such as webinars, knowledge sharing, just in time learning, coaching and mentoring allow individuals to select methods that suit their learning style. Not only will you save money, your people will learn more and your business will see better results.

5. Implement Collaboration and Knowledge Management: Organisations learn when they ‘know what they know’ and people can readily access, share and improve on the organisations knowledge.

6. Critically evaluate the results of learning activities: Business benefits when learning is aligned to the business vision and objectives. Build measurement of learning outcomes into your L&D strategy and regularly review what is working and what isn’t.

Organisation Change is vital to survive and grow in today’s turbulent environment. Organisation Learning - becoming a “Learning Organisation”- is one of the most important keys to becoming a master of change and excelling at strategy execution. The good news is advances such as Brain Based Learning and Learning 2.0 make it practical for even the smallest of organisations to become a Learning Organisation.

Make a start today. Click Here to request a copy of Beyond Strategy Consulting’s Learning & Development Capability Assessment tool and begin your journey towards a Learning Organisation.


(1) Making Change Work, IBM, 2009

Project Management Excellence: Low Budget High Impact Strategies

Last week I talked to a small business owner about his organisations’ challenges in delivering to clients on time and budget. Time and again his people would work heroically to meet their commitments, working many extra hours and using extra resources. Clients were delighted by his teams dedication. But, this came at a significant cost, with budget overruns, declining profitability and staff burnout. He knew better project management (PM) would improve the situation, but was overwhelmed by the complexity of most project management methods and tools, and given his cash-flow challenges couldn’t afford the high cost of formal PM training.


This is a common challenge for small and medium sized organisations (SMEs). They understand the benefits a better project management capability will produce, but are overwhelmed by the seeming complexity  and can’t justify the high expense. So how do SMEs gain the same advantages their larger competitors do, while remaining agile, and without incurring significant costs? They adopt these six strategies to develop a mature project management (PM) capability:

1. Make Project Management a Strategic Priority: Promote excellence in project management from the top down, ensure everyone in the organisation understands why it is important, their role in delivering projects and the benefits to both the organisation and the individual. Make improving your PM capability a strategic objective throughout the organisation. Develop a plan for improving project management.

2. Focus on your People: PM excellence is achieved by excellent Project Managers. Make sure you have the right people, with the ability and attitude to be great project managers. The best PMs will combine solid planning skills and attention to detail, with the ability to be flexible and have excellent people skills. If you’re hiring, don’t focus too heavily on certifications, focus instead on experience, skills and attitude.

3. Become a Learning Organisation: Be smarter about training, instead of sending people to expensive offsite classroom training adopt Learning 2.0 strategies such as webinars, knowledge sharing, just in time learning, coaching and mentoring. Develop a knowledge management system to capture reusable information and documents. For more formal needs obtain onsite training that is specifically tailored for your organisation, your people and your methods. Not only are the costs significantly lower the learning outcomes for your people will be significantly higher and immediately usable in your organisation.

4. Adopt a Simple Methodology: Most project management methodologies are well suited to large complex projects, and large organisations, but they do not work well for less complex projects in smaller, more agile organisations. Select a methodology that emphasises flexibility and can be tailored to suit your specific needs. Take the time to tailor the methodology and regularly review how well it is working.

5. Don’t buy Expensive Tools: Unless you’re involved in a major construction projects, building rockets for NASA or managing large complex software developments your tool needs are fairly simple. You need to plan who does what and when, create, modify and share documents, collaborate, track and report progress and manage project financials. There are many, inexpensive, cloud based PM tool suites available, chose one that meets your needs, is tailorable, will scale up as you grow and fits your budget.

6. Celebrate Success, Learn from Mistakes: There’s no silver bullet when it comes to developing project management excellence. It takes time, dedication, persistence and encouragement. Capture lessons learnt from all projects, what works, what doesn’t work. Use problem projects as an opportunity for coaching and learning, not blame. Ensure Project Managers receive mentoring from experienced PMs. Above all else, celebrate your organisations successes.

Project Management excellence is the key to successful long term success, without it your organisation will lurch from one challenged client engagement to another, never quite reaching its’ full potential. The good news is, small and medium organisations can develop strong PM capabilities without incurring the significant expense of complex PM methodologies, tools and classroom training. And in doing so SMEs can out-compete their larger competitors by remaining agile while still delivering outstanding project results.

5 Tips to Get Your 2011 Strategy Back on track

It’s almost the end of February traditionally a time when we look back on our goals for the year and realise we haven’t made as much progress as we’d planned. January started with excitement and promise as goals, strategies and plans for the year were set in place. February disappeared in a rush of business as usual and now those goals are looking a lot harder to achieve. So now what?

Here’s 5 tips to help you get back on track and achieve your 2011 goals.


1. Reaffirm your Vision. Your vision should provide a powerful picture of what your business will look like in the future. It should clarify the direction the business will take and act as a ‘yardstick’ against which objectives, strategies and plans can be assessed. Above all else it should provide a powerful motivation for taking action and striving towards your goals. If you haven’t already done so review your vision statement, make sure it is written in powerful, motivational language. Print it out and put it somewhere you will see it every day. Think about how you’re communicating the vision to others in your business. Do they understand the vision, does it resonate with them, are they motivated by it?
2. Update your plan. Review your goals, are they still the right goals for this year? Are they written as SMART goals and can you really measure them? Assess the gap between where you are today and where you want to be. What strategies are you going to use to close the gap? Review your SWOT analysis and pay particular attention to recent changes in your business environment. Also critically assess what’s stopped you making progress to date – do you need to change your plan to overcome these roadblocks? Have you communicated the plan, does everyone in the organisation understand their role in executing the plan?
3. Just Do It. Successful execution happens when you prioritise your strategic activities ahead of the day-to-day crisis and act on your plan every day. Create an environment that supports and encourages acting on the plan. Remember persistence is the key to long term success.
4. Track your progress. Regularly track progress towards your goals and review what’s working and what’s not working. Learn from your failures and review your plan as you go along.
5. Celebrate every success no matter how small.

Vision. Execution. Results


Joan Dobbie is the Owner and Principal Consultant at Beyond Strategy Consulting where she focuses on delivering valuable strategic planning, strategy execution and capability development services that enable small to medium enterprises to achieve their vision.