Speaker: Donna Fitzgerald
This talk is targeted at professional project and portfolio managers. Project management tools are not enough; you need collaboration and social networking. These tools are not just a requirement for digital natives, there is a value case for this provision for everyone.
Can new tools help generate better project results?
People who might not share valuable information in a repository, might share that information in-person. Employees still more likely to share things in writing as long as their name is on it. Does this draw us away from the conventional, depersonalized project documentation and towards something more personal? Knowledge consumption depends on Social Capital. Social capital relates to human capital, physical capital and information capital. Relates to reputation:
· Trust: ability; past actions; openness; sincerity
· Reciprocity: shared vision; shared norms
· Levels of Cooperation: Consistency; commitment
If we think that project management documents might be there simply to ensure the success of the project, they might look quite different, rather than ending up with a formal project management document set, instead ensure that the right kinds of interactions can happen between the stakeholders in the project.
Four Phase Knowledge Loop:
· Socialization: discussion about tacit knowledge
· Defined Approach: sequential explicit knowledge
· Informed Action: Experience plus explicit knowledge
· Double loop learning: reflective insight on tacit knowledge
Tools for knowledge creation:
· Quiet and/or dialog
· Kinesthetic aids (mind mapping, lists)
· Capture Tools (blogging, wikis or podcasts)
These are forms of knowledge some of which work better for different personality types—we should not be requiring particular formats, but ensuring that the formats on which we focus are ones that work for both the person capturing the knowledge and the person that is receiving the knowledge.
Check-out tools: “TheBrain”, “OnFolio”, “Spurl”
1-to-1 Real time: Webcams; IM
1-to-1 Asynchronous: Blogs; Podcasts; Videocasts; Web pages
Many-to-many Real time: Conference calls; Chat; Videoconference
Many-to-many Asynchronous: Wikis; Threaded discussions; P2P File shares (like Groove); Email discussion lists
Different kinds of tools for different kinds of communication (speaker very surprised how few in the audience have IM infrastructure in their environments).
The PMO can facilitate:
· A connection path to the employee “who knows”
· Information sharing around a common problem or set of goals
· Effective collaboration for geographically dispersed teams
· Communities of practice for more freeform collaboration
· Project-based networks
Even if we are successful at using social networking tools and collaboration tools to get more value from , only a relatively small number of people will participate: 10-20%. Don’t let that stop us from putting in place the IM system, the blogs, the wikis etc. Different kinds of tools for different kinds of people:
Extrovert, High input: IM and blackberries
Extrovert associational: Want search and blogs to find thoughts and express them—produce most of the content
Introvert visual: Will want as much as possible in a video format they can watch at their desk
Introvert kinesthetic: Will want tools that let them build things and then share the results—mind maps or other open source repositories
Overall, this was an interesting talk, and makes me think that we should look very carefully at how we can ensure people are comfortable with using wikis and blogs to develop the knowledge required to progress projects. We also need to ensure that we are clear about where blogs and wikis provide additional information, and where they become the format in which formal project documentation is generated. Imagine for example, an issues log becoming an issues blog…
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