A few weeks back, I was in conversation with a gentleman and we were discussing the relevance of PMP training across different industries. As any professional project manager will confirm, most of the PM methodologies practiced around the world are based on global best practices. This implies that the policies & processes advocated by them have been developed and tested across organizations and industries around the world and have been found to be successfully effective; hence the name “best practices”. The common understanding is that since it has worked in most or all of the organizations and domains where it has been tried, it will deliver with equal ease in any new company or vertical too. Or is that really so?

The dictionary defines “best” as “of the highest quality, excellence, or standing, most advantageous, suitable, or desirable” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/best ). What is hidden in these definitions is the addendum “among those tested / verified / checked”. Thus even within the superlative form of the word is hidden a comparison – best out of a chosen sample set. Any change to the sample set and the purported best practice may either retain its title or be dethroned by an entirely new process. Mere word play, you say? May be…but think about it. As practicing project managers, professionals and logical human beings, have we not encountered situations that seemed remarkably similar to an earlier experience; but on actually dealing with it, we found a thread of difference, a peculiarity that called for special attention and an altered approach? Is it then not likely that the reputed best practices that have worked so smoothly for businesses around the world may need to be tweaked around and tailored for our particular line of business or may not even be applicable for us?

As human beings, we like to believe and rightly so that each of us is unique in some or the other way. So also are our projects; even though most of them may seem similar due to similarities in stakeholders, industry, execution platform or desired result, each possesses a feature that is unique to that particular endeavor. That being the case, global best practices should serve only as a guideline to us. Rather than blindly applying them to our specific project, company or industry, we need to critically examine its applicability and tailor it to our specific requirements. This underscores the need for thorough understanding of both – what is prescribed by the standard as well as the nuances of the particular situation at hand. If either of these is missing or is incomplete, we may end up implementing a process that does not fit our needs or rejecting a better way of doing things. The time and effort spent in gaining this understanding is an investment to ward off unwanted events and costs at a later date.

Another important point of focus that one realizes on pondering over the process of best practice adoption is the need for an efficient tracking mechanism. Monitoring and control is an important domain in any project; but in cases that involve the adoption of a new way of doing things, its importance is even more highlighted. Periodic and stringent audits in the areas that are affected by the newly adopted practice not only ensures that the desired results are achieved but also provides an insight into the actual time, money and effort being input to the change and the benefits of the same. Such a comparison helps in evaluating the global best practice against the organization’s own way of doing things and thus establishing which of the two is more suited to our needs. Having said that, one also needs to realize that it is not necessary that the new approach bears fruit immediately. It will need time while it is accepted, tailored and adopted across the organization; this after all involves unlearning of past practices and mastering of hitherto unknown procedures. A great deal of patience is called for during these turbulent times.

Factors that are not easily monitored and measured but nevertheless play a pivotal role in best practice adoption are largely human. Acceptance of global standards requires humility to concede that there is indeed a better way of doing things. The tendency to bury our necks in the sand saying that “we will remain this way as it works fine for us” needs to give way to an attitude to know what is happening around us and a willingness to seek out and accept the new. A willingness to look beyond one’s own portals and recognize new and improved processes is the big difference between those that ‘pretend to change’ and those that ‘do change’. Which of these are we going to be?

Just about a year ago, the economies of the world were steaming ahead at jet pace; today the global economy is slowing down and we are talking of a world wide recession. Less than a year ago, the cost of a barrel of oil was sky rocketing at $150; today it is down to around $50 per barrel in the global market. Times are changing & changing fast. We can deny its existence as much as we wish to, but the truth of the matter is that change is all around us. And no one, not even our projects is immune to its effect. I mean, forget the changes in the global environment, how many of us have escaped the clutches of changes requested in project deliverables while the project is in progress?

You are probably saying “Tell me about it! No sooner than I plan for one situation than one change request turns the entire situation over its head. As if life wasn’t difficult enough already!”. I couldn’t agree more. Here we are, following PMBOK’s guidelines to the T, armed with half a dozen plans of how to manage different process areas and one single alteration, one change request from the client turns the entire thing upside down! Now is that fair?

Probably not. Truth be told, many of us would probably prefer that requirements be frozen, that status quo be maintained & that we go about our projects in an routine manner. But where is the fun in that? Are we losing out on more exciting opportunities by pulling ourselves within comfortable and familiar surroundings? Would we really be glad if our projects followed a typical beaten path or are our intellects insulted by the absence of fresh challenges in the environment? Maybe…just maybe…

OK, so maybe, change is inevitable, change…well, it changes things and change is to some extent even welcome, but there has to be a way out! How do I keep my project from getting affected by any & every change that comes by? Will these pointers help?

1.Try & minimize change

Am I asking for the impossible? Not really. I am not trying to prevent change or ignore it. I am simply trying to minimize its occurrence. How do we do that? The Requirements gathering phase plays a crucial role here. The project’s success depends on the efficiency with which the requirements are elicited from the various stakeholders, analyzed & documented. These requirements form the basis for all future work plan, costs, schedule and quality parameters. So go all out during this time to ensure that every small need & whim is collected, analyzed and properly recorded. And ensure that you use simple & the right language in documenting these so that all parties involved agree that this is what the project is going to achieve & this is what it is not. Now is not the time to display your superior verbal skills.

2.What else but Plan…for Change Management

The Change Management Plan is probably one of the most neglected but of the most useful documents. Of the various important points that need to be recorded in this plan is the definition of a change, of a threshold change value beyond which the change management process will be triggered. Also included is the whys and wherefores of the change management process – who is authorized to issue a change, what are the response times required for the analysis, who will approve the change, how will it be carried out, how will changes be prioritized & integrated and so on. Lastly, a plan is only as good as its implementation and never before. So beware the tendency to mothball this plan into the closet; use it to realize its benefits.

3.It will arrive in the next train

Aside from the fact that changes are bound to turn up is their annoying habit of turning up when things are moving at full throttle. Analyzing and accommodating the new request at this time is probably the last thing you would wish for. Talk to the change initiator about how serious is the new requirement. Is it something worth jeopardizing the present deliverables? Is there a scope to complete the project in its present form & then add on the new request as an extra feature, if technically possible?

4.Use a tool, you fool!

More often than not, projects run with an ad hoc set up. Changes come in and are squeezed into the deliverables on hand simply by word of mouth based on the relationship between the different parties and never recorded anywhere. One can only imagine the confusion faced by a new entrant into the project trying to figure out where & how this change came up. There are multiple configuration management tools that are available suited for various project needs. Use of such tools not only simplifies the entire process but also makes it more transparent. And remember, a tool has no brains of its own, so use it wisely.

5.Give way

No, I am not asking you to give up everything & leave the project. Every project has a unique deliverable & you are the most informed of the same. Ask yourself well in advance “What is it that can change in this?”. And then build in some amount of flexibility to accommodate the anticipated change. Such parametrization yields great benefits! After all, if A can change to B today, what is to keep it from changing to C or worse, returning to A the next day? Parametrize and A can change to Z tomorrow for all you care, you will be able to handle it!