allPM.com :: Hey You...Get Back In The Box!!! by Paul R. Williams, PMP

Hey You...Get Back In The Box!!! by Paul R. Williams, PMP

Published on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 07:14 AM

Creativity gurus have been saying for years that we need to "think outside of the box" when approaching business processes or policies. Indeed, it has been proven that creative business thought leads to more innovation, better solutions, and increased efficiency. However, in the context of formal project management, that exuberant ingenuity can lead to scope creep or even worse, the addition of unnecessary features, better known as gold-plating. So how do you manage integrated scope control without stifling an atmosphere of creative and innovative thought?
The pursuit of complex projects is often a risky business. Cutting edge technology, fuzzy requirements, and a lack of visible project results often lead these types of projects off course. Business problems and/or opportunities, and the projects created to address these issues, are often resolved through creative thought, alternatives identification, risk taking, business unit involvement, and upper-management championing.

The creative thought process utilized by the project team is invaluable during the concept and planning phases of the fledgling project. It is during these stages of project development that the project team and stakeholders are the most free to mold and shape the project into a working and feasible solution. Brainstorming meetings, JAD (joint application development) sessions, Kaizen continuous improvement events (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen for a definition), and other such facilitated creative problem-solving techniques can provide concept alternatives, issue identification, resource requirements, logical flow, interdependencies, and high-level risk assessments. It is critical, especially in the early phases of the project development, that these creative approaches be explored, acted upon and openly encouraged.

There is a point in the project's life cycle, however, where a fine line must be drawn between continuous creative thought and unsolicited action. Once the project's requirements, deliverables and plan have been agreed upon by the stakeholders and put into place, the team must focus on completing the various paths of the project, rather than the "blue-sky" thinking of earlier definition efforts. Implementation of unauthorized alternative work packages and the realization of additional features/functionality during the execution and controlling phases, without the benefit of integrated change control, can lead to scope creep, gold-plating, and an overall loss of management direction. As the Project Manager, it is your responsibility to communicate with your team members when it is appropriate to focus on creative problem solving as opposed to staying within the confines of the project plan. The trick is to not completely suppress the creative thought process of your team members. After all, you may need that creativity to address new issues, risks, risk responses and other concerns as they arise during the project's life cycle.

Tips for managing creativity during the project life cycle:

In your project team communications, stress the importance of adhering to the project plan, avoiding scope creep, and the dangers of gold-plating

Encourage innovative thought through the use of facilitated idea generation sessions during the concept phase and whenever appropriate during the project life cycle:
- Brainstorming
- Storyboarding
- Best Case/Worst Case Scenarios
- Kaizen Continuous Improvement Sessions

Provide an outlet for creative ideas amongst team members through the use of a suggestion box, e-mailbox, corporate portal site, or agenda item during project team meetings

Recognize, Reward and Praise:
- Recognize the team member's initiative
- Praise the team member's compliance with regard to following the appropriate protocol
- Reward the team member for his/her contribution
  - Rewarding the entire team leads to a better group dynamic but rewarding individual effort feeds the soul of the team member
  - Rewards do not always have to be monetary in nature

Manage by exception and remain vigilant of scope creep and gold plated functionality

The creative thought process is an invaluable tool in all phases of a project. While working through the early project phases, such as initiating and planning, high levels of creative thought and team/stakeholder input are required and must be cultivated by the Project Manager. Creative thought may also be required during the execution phase in order to break through a specific problem or triggered risk. It is also during execution and control where management typically loses control of the project. Many times, this loss of control is due to factors unrelated to the team dynamic such as, technical problems, vendor delays, and resource constraints. However, there are other occasions where the loss of control results from a team member who is still in the "blue-sky" mode of thinking and not focused on his or her specific tasks along the critical path. By remaining vigilant to the warning signs of scope creep through proper management oversight, the Project Manager can find the elusive balance between fostering an environment of creative thought while maintaining effective control of the project.

© 2005 allPM.com

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Paul R. Williams, PMP is an IT Operations Project Manager with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a Fortune 500 Company, located in Appleton, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is responsible for providing project management solutions in support of Thrivent Financial's technical project initiatives. Mr. Williams is also an author and speaker regarding "Creativity in Business" topics and is a 2000 Graduate of the Disney Institute's Program on Managing for Creativity and Innovation.

He can be contacted at the following e-mail address: prwpmp@yahoo.com

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