How assembling permanent project management ensembles achieves results stakeholders crave.

Years ago, when I began delivering and eventually leading projects my teams experienced a laundry list of issues. While researching this article, I discovered the challenges I encountered in my work were not unique. They also still exist today. Most agree common problems impeding project delivery include managing scope, risks, budgets, people, and schedules. There’s more, but you get the point; need to manage a project, you will likely face the same types of challenges.

Refusing to adapt, results in poor outcomes. Reading, Sacred Cows Make The Best Burgers, by Kriegel and Brandt, compelled me to evaluate current project management practices. One that stood out was how the project assignment process works today. What might make it better for the project management professional while also improving delivery?

Where could we start?

You might be wondering, don’t we already have all the answers well documented? Key project management processes (and more) are in the project management body of knowledge(PMBOK). And for teams with a more agile bent, there is a slew of frameworks to help and prescriptions for team composition. Yet it seems that if the people are good, frameworks are good, and knowledge is not the problem, what are we lacking? Today, this article will explore a common, yet underdeveloped way of pursuing superior project management.

Our answer resides in the formation of the permanent project ensemble. Similar to that of a troupe of actors equipped to perform at the highest level. Ready, passionate, and experienced to take on nearly any genre because they are the professionals we have been waiting for to take us where we need to go.

An ensemble is a group of musicians, dancers, or actors who perform together, like an ensemble which has been playing music together for several years. vocabulary.com

9 important reasons why the permanent ensemble should be adopted

1. A team has more capacity, creativity, and capability to deliver than does a project manager working alone or as part of a group.

2. Backup coverage is inherent in the construct.

3. Engagement can be higher when you are working with people who care, know you, and are there to help every day.

4. Belonging is stronger because team members get to know each other in deeper and more meaningful ways.

5. Professional development can occur together and as individuals.

6. Onboarding just got simpler, meaningful, and part of the culture. No longer waiting on the manager to do it all and hope others will help. The team takes responsibility for onboarding.

7. Hiring for fit can occur. The hiring manager leverages the team(s) to provide valuable insight on fit for today and the future.

8. Better risk management. The team is more prepared to identify, reduce, and manage risks than is one person entering items into a risk register.

9. Leadership capability increases. When the leader improves the organization improves. Now the entire team can grow in leadership more quickly.

Move away from legacy thinking

For too long we have ignored what marketing, manufacturing, engineers, and other professionals have discovered. Forming the right team is what delivers results. Books like Tribal Leadership, Team of Teams, Humanacracy, and All In describe how teams closest to the work make better decisions. Giving our teams our trust contributes to a virtuous cycle and builds healthy organizations. We understand that a “team” is not the appropriate solution for every situation. Moreover, if you are experiencing excellence in your project delivery today, don’t change. However, if you, like me think we can do better, let’s talk about how we introduce a new way of forming teams of project professionals. The permanent ensemble could become the new standard for project management organizations.

As I wrote about in a previous article, authority, and position alone won’t produce results. It is difficult to advance rapidly when holding on too firmly to the past; especially when the past wasn’t working.

Traditionally a PMO (Project Management Office) has project managers, program managers, portfolio managers, business analysts. There are different models of PMOs (strong, weak, etc…). The point is there is the structure is a hierarchical command and control.

While we need governance, our clients deserve a faster response. The solution described here solves this problem forever. A team already in the field can respond immediately.

Just think, could it be that the reoccurring problems don’t go away because we aren’t addressing the right problem? It could be that the answer we need doesn’t reside in hiring the superstar project manager, team training, or better technology. If it did, why are we continuing to struggle with the same problems?

What doesn’t work?

Some organizations still use legacy consulting models to manage programs and projects. Managers and leaders far removed from the work making tactical decisions take too long and is the antithesis to recommendations of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and L. David Marquet.

In short, there are two primary roles in the consulting model:

1. People Leader: A highly administrative role. With 15–25 employees reporting to them, they are removed from the project work and development needs of their direct reports. They can’t know their people well or how to support career or professional development goals.

2. Program Manager: A strategic and independent role typically segregated away from the business. As consultants, they ‘request’ project managers from the “people leaders” and the stakeholder waits. This role is diminished without a permanent group to lead. This leaves most of their time spent in meetings or writing executive-level reports.

Where does that leave the project manager?

Solo project manager: No matter how capable and experienced; an individual project manager has limits. Often brought in after an effort has started and an informal hierarchy already in place, they begin walking uphill. No backup and less are able to take time off without a trade-off. In my experience, most project managers receive multiple projects. Too many commitments can lead to burn-out and eventual project failure especially when the work requires more than we can give.

Group of project managers: A group of project managers assigned to deliver a complex project is sometimes referred to as a “team”. Having been at the job long enough, you know these arrangements are “working groups”, not teams. We understand in most cases individual performance is what receives the financial rewards and better opportunities. That said, types of groupings bring with them the complexities of team dynamics without the incentive to honor the dignity of members.

According to Donna Hicks, Ph.D., author of Leading with Dignity writes,

Even with dignity, the traditional grouping forces individuals with competing agendas to align with their primary motivation being “delivery”. To deliver no matter what. Careers are on the line. Promotions are at risk. You may have experienced the highest-profile or politically astute team members receiving most of the praise, recognition, and financial rewards.

Let’s stop conflating the word team with what is a temporary “working arrangement”.

Giving up on rewarding individual performance is not what is required. What I’m saying is that let’s put the right, high-performing individuals together in a construct to build upon their strengths. Let’s stop conflating the word team with what is a temporary “working arrangement”. Instead, let’s describe the composition and unique characteristics of the permanent ensemble.

Evolving the project manager experience

I believe the work we do is important, but the humans that do the work are more important. Let’s show how we can improve the project professional experience.

Permanent ensemble composition and unique characteristics

Teams aligned to key initiatives require less oversight. Clarity of purpose increases effectiveness; allowing for the ensemble to move forward harmoniously. They can turn their attention towards delivering more efficiently contributing to organizational success.

Building in the team and personal commitments into the process increases safety. Long ago, Google shared their results of what makes a team high performing. In an article by Laura Delizonna, she summarizes the results of the two-year study stating, “the highest-performing teams have one thing in common: psychological safety, the belief that you won’t be punished when you make a mistake.”

Good news for us; safety is built into this approach. People feel safest when they know where they are supposed to be. When we are purposefully placed in situations where we can maximize our strengths and compliment others by serving each other and the organization, a real team can form.

People feel safest when they know where they are supposed to be.

Ensemble composition

Each team includes employees and/or contractors at various experience levels. Teams would stay together and deliver the priority work as a unit across their assigned portfolio. Portfolios are constructed to support strategic objectives. Most teams would be comprised of having 3–7 members and a program manager.

This new, flexible structure offers 6 unique benefits:

1. A place for every experience level: Each portfolio of projects contains work suited for each level of project professional. Having several projects at various points in the lifecycle, the team has a variety of assignments. Continuous delivery ensures new work comes in and members are exposed to more growth opportunities, sooner. This approach ensures employees of various tenure and experiences work together continuously. Trust increases as they learn from each other and share experiences. Practicing what works best, the most efficient ways to complete tasks are identified and become part of the team culture. Continuous improvement in a safe environment increases team performance. Less tenured employees grow wiser, faster. Before they can even start, we have solved possible onboarding problems. And we have done it with dignity.

2. Inclusion of different perspectives: Bringing employees together who possess different perspectives can inspire new, creative solutions to current challenges. They can also bring the best ideas; a concept promoted by Fierce founder, Susan Scott.

3. Learning by example built-in: Balance teams by including those on different growth trajectories. As Kim Scott explains in her book, Radical Candor, we have Superstars and Rockstars; the best organizations don’t have “B” players. Our permanent ensemble should contain both. Not only that but also take into account their unique abilities and strengths too. Gallup has helped by providing a framework for helping individuals identify their strengths and how to partner with the strengths of others.

4. Increasing generosity and commitment: The team is the extension of the organizations’ principles. Excellence is possible when the right people serve together, commit to our mission, and give their best selves, generously. Just as action follows identity, passion follows commitment. Seth Godin, says it best in his book The Practice, “The right work to the right people for the right reason.” We absolutely need generosity from our team members. People who choose themselves first don’t help achieve greatness. Read my article on the type of leadership I think we need right now.

5. Loyalty to the team: Selecting individuals who have an innate desire to serve (a service orientation) as part of a team is a requirement for tomorrow’s leader according to Jacob Morgan, the author of The Future Leader. Being evaluated as a team while recognizing individual contributions is at the heart of the permanent ensemble. Loyalty is not something we can assign. When done correctly, placing the right individuals together, the team can cultivate loyalty. As it grows, it serves to anchor the team when times get tough; whether on or off the job. This approach may offset the effects of the great resignation. For years Gallup affirms how the employee relationships with their manager and their teams highly influence their engagement.

6. Enhanced roles with professional development: There would also be a team leader (like a conductor) to continuously orchestrate and help keep the team in tune. Each would have a person equipped to coach the others and a program manager to ensure team priorities remain aligned to leadership goals. Over time, the ensemble becomes the talent incubator. Each member can try out the various roles and increase their professional and leadership capacity.

Improving the project manager experience

The project manager best prepared to lead tomorrow’s strategic initiatives will contribute their talent to a team of project professionals. These teams can adapt to the rapidly changing landscape in ways current practices do not allow. The following chart illustrates many key differences between current and superior practices.

Current vs. Superior Practices

1-Hiring

• Current Practice: Talent acquisition identifies qualified candidates for managers to hire for programs and projects.

• Superior Practice: Hiring practices directly align with strategic direction and forecasted team capacity, quarterly. Members of each ensemble actively participate in evaluating talent.

2-On-boarding

• Current Practice: The manager initiates an onboarding workflow. The new employee is introduced to the existing project managers via e-mail or in a team meeting.

• Superior Practice: The new employee continues a natural progression in relationship building. They are introduced to team culture by individuals they will remember during the interviewing process. At least one will be from the ensemble they will be assigned. The new employee begins contributing immediately. On day one, they belong on a team committed to their current success and future development.

3-Managing large initiatives

• Current Practice: A team is formed around a single program, project, or track. Projects or sub-projects are assigned to individuals. Each may be assigned 1 or more projects.

• Superior Practice: Work is brought to the right team versus the work being assigned to an individual. Teams are formed and aligned to strategic themes, priorities, or value streams. These teams are permanent with focus changing based when strategy changes. New initiatives go through an evaluation process. Scope, strategic value, and priority are determined. Subsequently, each is assigned to the team best aligned to the strategic theme.

4-Team construction

• Current Practice: Search pool of available project managers and make the best match or hire contract project professionals.

• Superior Practice: Initial team formation is based on many dimensions (strengths, grade, experience, career path) enabling self-organization and management.

5-Employee growth opportunities

• Current Practice: Subject to project assignments. Growth opportunities for most project professionals come from on-the-job experience. Receiving exposure to progressively complex assignments is the path to recognition. Without it, career progression takes longer.

• Superior Practice: Stretch opportunities exist on each team starting day 1. From the time the new employee joins their team, they will immediately be exposed to multiple projects and contribute to many of them. Some as a lead, some as support, and also contribute to administrative work including forecasts and reporting.

6-Professional development

• Current Practice: Determined by the individual. A common problem for new employees is they may not know what they need and when they need it. Developing their own plans may result in putting off development or spending valuable time in less efficient ways.

• Superior Practice: Influenced by team objectives and personal growth goals. Ensemble members are aware of the team’s needs and upcoming work. This knowledge prepares them to make informed decisions about what opportunities are best right now. Also, their team can provide guidance on what resources might help them achieve their goals.

7-Knowledge sharing

• Current Practice: Intermittent. Communications come during department meetings, supervisor one-to-ones, and e-mails.

• Superior Practice: Continuous. Daily interaction with the team permits the free flow of information and feedback. Team members understand the state of all work the team is responsible for.

8-Business partnership

• Current Practice: Transactional. When a project concludes, the transaction is complete. Now, the project manager likely will work in a different area with different stakeholders.

• Superior Practice: Relational. Building trust, connection, and becoming a valued thought partner takes time. Keeping members together, longer allows more opportunities to form stronger relationships.

Addressing stakeholder concerns

Stakeholders look to the project management office for help, guidance, and professionals to help deliver on key initiatives. Due to constraints around existing models, stakeholders do not receive the help they need. Introducing permanent ensembles to manage existing priorities can immediately address the known challenges many PMOs faces today without additional cost.

Problem 1: The PMO doesn’t have an available project manager

Solved. If the work is a priority for the organization, an ensemble already exists to help move it forward immediately.

Problem 2: The PMO assigns the project manager too late

Solved. Because the ensemble is in place and if quarterly planning is occurring, the chance of a surprise would be a rare exception. However, even surprises can be managed now because teams are in place.

Problem 3: The PMO provides a project manager unequipped to lead the team

Solved. With a team well-versed in the strategic area, the project delivery is no longer dependent upon the abilities of one project manager.

Building a more client-focused PMO through employing ensembles

Even taking an incremental approach, the project management office should experience productivity increases. Below is a list of common problems and real concerns leadership teams are facing and how the approach helps.

• Hiring takes too long. Each step towards a more planful approach leveraging existing ensembles helps. Teams aligned to strategic initiatives, team forecasts become part of the quarterly rhythm. Leadership will have more run-way to bring on staff to support future needs. Result: Reduction in complaints and unaddressed needs.

• Takes weeks to assemble a team. Not anymore. Teams are in place and ready to take action.

• People quit. Coverage is built in. No scrambling. The team will manage the priorities.

• Continuous knowledge leakage. More than one team member will be actively working on any initiative.

• Training. No special training needs. Most will be performed within each team.

• Methodologies. The team can manage work using any methodology.

• Complexity. Complexity can be managed by both the depth and breadth of the ensemble.

• Showing Value. Project professionals who appreciate stakeholder challenges and manage priorities effectively provide tremendous value.

Obstacles to the approach

There will always be those wanting to hold on to the past and looking backward when a visionary approach is needed. Fear is a tremendous motivator that can hold people back from doing what is needed. Command and control and heavy reliance on hierarchy will likely always be with us. It is a great temptation for those with titles bigger than yours.

Final thoughts

Our ability to adapt should extend into the project management areas of the organization. Introducing the ‘permanent ensemble” to project management reduces the risk of project failure. It also can increase team cohesiveness and engagement. Most of all it enables the organization the capacity to pivot as priorities change because teams are ready, enabled, and empowered.