Seven beliefs of highly

effective PMs
 Beliefs
1. There is no such thing as the “right” team
2. Status reports do not tell the whole story – in particular
especially if they tell consistent good news!
3. The “best solution” to a problem will be found only after
the problem is solved in some other way!!
4. Teams ARE trustworthy – Building trust is No.1 priority.
5. You will be out of control if you make decisions without
data all the time.
6. You can say “NO” - sometimes
7. Being transparent helps to arrive at the best possible
decision
There is NO such thing as the
right team
 Belief ONE
• There is no such thing as the “right” team
– There should be NO gaps in attitude – gaps in
skills are manageable
– Train for skills
– Use strong GEL to stick the team together
• G – Geared together like synchromesh gears
• E – Eagerness to excel
• L – Leveraging mutual strengths
Status reports do not tell the
whole story – in particular if
they tell consistent good
news!
 Belief TWO
• Status reports do not tell the whole story – in
particular if they tell consistent good news!
– Status reports are old – represent the past
– Projects are NOT that good
• It is unlikely that all parameters of the project are perfectly
matched
• If there are no problems in the project either the project is
closed or no body is seriously monitoring the project
– Few vital statistics will tell you the full story – look for
those vital statistics and track them closely
– Customer view of the project is of utmost importance
The “best solution” to a problem
will be found only after the
problem is solved in some
other way!!
 Belief THREE
• The “best solution” to a problem will be
found only after the problem is solved in
some other way!!
– There is no time to wait for the best solution
• No body is expecting the best
• There is always time for Version 99
– If a solution works, it is good enough
 Teams ARE trustworthy –
Building trust is No.1 priority
 Belief FOUR
• Teams ARE trustworthy – Building trust is
No. 1 priority
– Team is the only tool you have got to do the
project
– A trusted team can improve efficiency
exponentially
– If you want to distrust any one, distrust your
ability to lead a trusted team!
• Your body language will expose your distrust!
You will be out of control if you
make decisions without data
all the time
 Belief FIVE
• You will be out of control if you make decisions
without data all the time
– Data is important – intuition is important too
• Correct data is the life line of the project
• Sometimes intuition is a better guide – but depending on it
always will be disastrous
– It is not easy to identify the key attributes and vital
data for a project
• There are always a few (very few in fact) parameters that are
critical to the success – “the heart and the brain”
• You need help from the team
• Be like the “mother” of a new born – she can tell when the
cry of the baby is “different”
You can say “NO” - some
times
No, No, and No for the
1000th time!
 Belief SIX
• You can say “NO” - some times
– You can not say “YES” every time without
compromising the project success
– It is OK to be the “bad” guy than a “failed” guy
– Have data to support your “NO”
– Pray for “common sense” in the other person
Being transparent helps to arrive
at the best possible decision
 Belief SEVEN
• Being transparent helps to arrive at the
best possible decision
– Laying all the cards on the table is sometimes
very difficult – learn to be diplomatic when you
put some “bad” cards
– It is better to arrive at a right decision after a
heated exchange than arrive at a bad
decision that would lead to a heated
exchange later!
Any Questions?