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Because people differ so drastically from each other, the ability to motivate them in such projects as multi-site rollouts, POS rollouts, or software rollouts can’t be written in a formula. Motivation is in fact an art that is composed of a number of factors including technique, understanding and creativity.

Technique, understanding and creativity are motivational factors based on the idea that people are motivated by different effects. As a project manager, it is important to recognize what your colleague is motivated by, and to then play on that as a means to propel him further. For example, if a project manager presents the need to finish a goal to someone who feels unaffected by the completed goal, the project manager may not achieve the desired results. Thus, it is important to recognize what it is that your colleague is motivated by. The following are three motivational categories that people typically fall under, and solutions for motivating them. In this three part series I will discuss three different personality types, and how to motivate them.

BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site. With BigWave, project managers can focus on what they do best—managing projects.
Contact BigWave today to eliminate the chaos and streamline your multi-site project management.

If you are working with a group, identify individual roles such as:
•    Who will make the decision
•    Who’s support is required in making the decision
•    Who has interest, but no influence in the decision

Focus on those whose support is required in making the decision. Ask them if there is any other information they may need, and when they will be talking with the decision maker to make the decision. Be sure people understand the implications of making a late decision. Make it clear. Put it on the schedule if you have to.

Lastly, when a decision is close to being reached, agree on a date and time that the decision will officially be made by. If you followed the above advice, the decision should be made under budget and on time.

BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site. With BigWave, project managers can focus on what they do best—managing projects. Contact BigWave today to eliminate the chaos and streamline your multi-site project management.

Project managers find that many people don’t want to make decisions. There are a number of reasons for this, and a project manager must be aware of them, so that they may best approach the reluctant decision maker. Reasons include:
• They can’t distinguish between the pros and the cons of the possible decision
• They fear making the decision and feel they do not have the authority to do so, or fear the consequence of making the
wrong decision.
• They just don’t like to make decisions and would rather be led than lead.
• They may not make a decision unless they know that it will help promote them within the organization.

Project managers must learn how to work with these reluctances. For example, if they have someone who doesn’t like to make decisions, they can lay out the process in advance and then have the decision maker create a list of questions that need to be answered and then go and seek out the answers themselves. If they are dealing with someone who is willing to make decisions only if it will help to promote them, first convince them that it will indeed help their career and that a wrong decision is not career limiting.

When involved with multi-site rollouts, or software rollouts, project managers are often faced with the difficult task of getting an individual or a group of colleagues to reach a decision.  This task runs the risk of causing projects to come in over budget or behind time. However, there are a number of steps that a project manager can take to avoid that unfortunate outcome.

Project managers should start the process by noting decision making points, which could include: when the project should proceed to next stage the scope of the project, and acceptance of variations. They also need to create a process for making decisions. By setting guidelines, such as where a decision should go depending upon the variable, the project manager streamlines the process.  Please note that how you make your decision is just as important as what decision you make. In this three part series, I will continue to provide advice on how to make decisions effectively and efficiently.

BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site. With BigWave, project managers can focus on what they do best—managing projects. Contact BigWave today to eliminate the chaos and streamline your multi-site project management.

We have all heard about how important customer service is to a business. We have all also experienced bad customer service. Far too often people share the bad experiences. I’d like to share a good experience we heard about from one of BigWave’s customers recently.

We sent an email to one of our customers letting them know that during our routine error monitoring, we noticed that an error occurred for them. We sent them a patch as quickly as possible to resolve the error. The response we received back from them was:

“That sounds great!! Thanks for the EXCELLENT customer service!! [In general, customer service] is sure lacking these days, and so I definitely appreciate [it] more than most people. Excellent customer service is the one sure way to expand your customer base. You guys rock!!”

It is nice to hear when you are doing something right. Customer service is very important to us at BigWave, and we will continue to make it one of our top priorities. You can find out what more of our customers have said on our testimonials page. If you would like more information about BigWave, contact us today. We can not only help make your multi-site project management life a lot easier–we will also provide exceptional customer service.

The third attempt at RAD is team-based and was designed to ensure business user involvement. The team-based method creates a flexible team with few core members and several periphery members from business and IT who come and go as their skills are needed.  Success with the team-based approach relies on communication, designation of roles and responsibilities for each member, as well as a clearly defined goal for the team to achieve. In a team-based environment work is carried out in short extensive bursts in an effort to retain focus, an understanding that the team is working under a fixed timeframe is given, and training is implemented before the start of the RGP. Another advantage of the  team based approach is that it can be used in multi-site project management, POS rollouts and multi-site rollouts.

After you have provided your team with the tools and guidelines it needs to successfully gather system requirements, look at your project and make sure that the RGP  involves business users, has executive management support, a clear statement of requirements, proper planning and realistic expectations.

BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site.

The second attempt at RAD came from IBM who developed Joint Application Development (JAD). This technique used an independent facilitator to lead a team of business users. The facilitator created the framework of the process before it even began, managed the process of decision making, and focused the group on gaining consensus. Unfortunately, the use of JAD soon became too complex and like the BA, was used less frequently.

Problems with RAD include lack of business user involvement, lack of a process to face decisions and the reliance on developing an accurate and detailed specification for the system, rather than applying an evolutionary approach. A third approach was developed, which is still in use today. It combines the best features of the BA and JAD and has so far proven successful.

BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site. With BigWave, project managers can focus on what they do best—managing projects. Contact BigWave today to eliminate the chaos and streamline your multi-site project management.

Gathering the requirements for a new system takes time. Imagine what it is like to record the opinions and demands of dozens of employees, sort the priorities and then make them work side by side while implementing the software rollout. The requirement gathering process (RGP) is often the cause of project failure because it drains an organization’s resources before a new system is even implemented and tested. Over the past three decades, organizations have slowly improved upon the RGP and have discovered and actualized various methods of success. There have been three notable attempts at rapid application development (RAD). Two proved unsuccessful, though factors from each are still being used in the third and seemingly successful attempt at RAD.

The first attempt at RAD was the introduction of the business analysts (BA) position, who was business minded but also trained in IT. By creating a ‘bridge’ between business users and IT, information that was often lost in the jargon between business users and IT was reclaimed. Although a blessing at first, BAs soon became technicians in their own right and began to guide and provide information rather than translate it, further distorting the messages between business users and IT. In this three part series I will continue to illustrate progress in RAD.

Difficulties in Compromise
Because it is difficult to gain access to business users, IT makes many of the systems compromises alone. Thus business users are delivered a system which they say is not what they wanted.

Difficulties in Reaching Decisions
We are minimally trained in the art translating information from one source to another. As a result meeting discussions tend to move around in circles, move off on tangents, or worse lack a clear purpose of discussion. Add the complication of system development to the mix and you can find yourself going nowhere

These factors can certainly be changed. With experiments and varying tactics being used in the requirement gathering process, some companies have been more successful in completing projects under time and under budget. These changes and advancements are discussed will be discusses in my next blog series.

BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site. With BigWave, project managers can focus on what they do best—managing projects. Contact BigWave today to eliminate the chaos and streamline your multi-site project management.

Difficulties in Visualization
Rather than formulating overall requirements, business users are often asked to visualize all of the details they believe the system should have, and to then imagine how those requirements might coexist while also working with or replacing the current system. It is nearly impossible to organize and visualize such details, not to mention quite intimidating to the employees whose opinion is being sought and who might not be comfortable with complicated projects like multi-site project management.

Difficulties in Gaining Access to People
IT projects are frequently treated as a second priority to all other duties that a business user might have. It is not uncommon that on top of a 10 hour work day, a business user must then go and contribute to the requirement gathering process. Business users become exhausted and frustrated by an additional commitment, often making themselves inaccessible. Thus it becomes difficult for IT to gather all of the information it needs to continue forward with a project. In such instances IT finds itself making decisions without the participation of the user.

BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site. Contact BigWave today to eliminate the chaos and streamline your multi-site project management.