Gargiulo Stories and Project Management

8/14/2019 Gargiulo Stories and Project Management

1/6

PROJECTMANAGEMENT&STORIESBy

Camper

Bull,

Founding

Partner

&

Principle

Armiger

International

&

Terrence

Gargiulo,

President,

MAKINGSTORIES.netProjectsaredevoidofmeaningwithouttheongoingroleofsensemaking.Letmestartbytellingyou

astory

Agroupoftopnotchprojectmanagerslikeyouclimbedamountain.Afterarigorousdayof

hikingallday,theteamsobjectivesofreachingthesummithadbeenmetwithflyingcolors.

Everymilestonehitandeverycriticalsuccessfactorpointingtoacompletesuccess.After

adequatecelebrationandthefilingoftheallclosureartifactswiththeProjectManagement

Officeitwastimetogetoffthemountain.Withthesunsettingfastpeoplebegantolookfor

thepath

leading

down

the

mountain.

Confusion

engulfed

our

team

of

mighty

adventurers.

No

onehadanyideaofwhatpathtotakeandinternalinfightingthreatenedtowreakcomplete

havocontheteamuntiloneoftheteammemberspulledamapfromtheirbackpack.Chaos

wasreplacedwithacalmresolveaplanworthyofthehighestpraisefromeventheProject

ManagementInstitute.Theteammadeitswaydownthemountainandwhenthesunrosethe

nextdaypeopleglancedatthemaponlytorealizeitwasntamapofthemountain.

Soundfamiliar?Themapwasavehicleofsensemaking.Whetheritwasrightorwrongwas

inconsequential(atleastinourstory).Themapgavepeopleasenseofpurpose,direction,andaction

tiedtothemap.Everyonewasonthesamepage.Themapisametaphorforstories.Accordingto

authorand

President

of

MAKINGSTORIES.net

Terrence

Gargiulo,

stories

are

fundamental

to

how

we

communicate,learnandthink.Storiesarehowwemakesenseofwhatishappeningaroundus.We

cannotdivorceourselvesfromlookingforpatterns.Wearepatternmachines.Storiesarethe

languageweusetoarticulateandguideouractions.

Storiescanplayacentralroleinprojectmanagement.Forthesakeofthisarticle,considerstoriesina

muchbroaderlightthanyoumaybeaccustomedtothinkof.Storiesdonotneedtobetoldand

storiesdonotneedtohaveHollywoodperfectlycraftedbeginning,middle,andends.Inthisarticle

wetakealookatsomeofthewaysstoriescanbeusedtomanageyourprojectstosuccess.

InthisthreepartarticlewellwalkthroughthePMBOKprocessgroupsandidentifywhereandhow

storiesfit.

This

article

assumes

you

are

acquainted

with

these

process

groups

(Initiating,

Planning,

Executing,Monitoring/Controlling,Closing).

InitiationPhaseProjectsarethevisionofasolutiontoaproblem.Storiesdrivevisions.Thestorieswecollectfrom

constituentsinneedofasolution,helpsustoenvisionaproject.Whenweelicitpeoplesdaytoday

experiencesorideasofthefutureweareworkingwithstories.Descriptionsandfactspaintaslow

cumbersomepicturewroughtwiththeseductionofrationalcertaintywhilebeingriddledwithblind


2/6

2009,ArmigerInternational&MAKINGSTORIES.net,CamperBull&TerrenceGargiulo,Allrightsreserved 2

spots.Grantedthefactsanddetailsgiveusthecrucialdatatosupportourrecommendations.

However,ifwecollectonlyfactsourpicturewillbeincomplete.Itsunlikelywellbeableto

collaborativelycraftasolutionthataddressestherootoftheproblem.

Wecangettotheheartoftheproblemquickerwhenwegetpeopletospeakabouttheir

experiences.Peoplesexperiencesarestoredintheirmindsasstories.Themorewehelppeople

sharetherichnessoftheirexperiencesintheformofnarratives,thebetterourunderstandingwillbe

oftheproblemdomain.

Sohowdoyoutellthedifferencebetweensomeoneofferinganexplanationordescriptionandthe

richerformofcommunicationofferedbystories?

Herearefewguidingquestionstogetyoustarted:

1. Aretheyspeakingfromtheirpersonalexperiencesoraretheyspeakingingeneralterms?2. Aretherelittletangentsinwhattheyshare?Listenfordescriptiveelements,elaborationof

ancillarydetails

that

paint

amore

vivid

picture,

editorial

comments,

references

to

other

experiences,theuseofanalogies,metaphors,perhapsevenjokestoillustratetheir

descriptions.

3. Doyoudetectanyemotion?Thiswillvaryfrompersontoperson.Itmaybesubtlebutifpeoplearetellingyouastoryyouwillnoticenuancesofemotions?

4. Whatsyourlevelofengagementasalistener?Storiesengageusinactivelistening.Wearenotfightingofftheincessantstreamingdistractionsofourmindsorthedesiretospeak

ourmind.

Remembertoadjustyourexpectationofwhatconstitutesastory.Lookforthreadsandfragmentsof

stories.Thesecanbeveryshortandsandwichedinbetweencommonformsofcommunication.

Youwillusethestoriesyoucollecttopiecetogetheratapestryofunderstanding.Asyouscanthe

storiesyouwillbegintoobservepatternsofmeaning.Likenthiscrisscrossingintersectionofpatterns

andmeaningstoacomputernetworkwithnodes.Thinkofitasanetworkofmeaning.Insightdoes

notsitinonenodeofthenetworkoronestory.Somestoriesarestrongerthanothers,attracting

weakerorisolatednodesofmeanings.Thesestrongerstorieswillnaturallyfacilitateyourprojection

ofmeaning.Usethemtohelpyouconnectotherstoriestothem.Thisisacircularprocess.Onceyou

generateamapoftheterrainyoucannotstopthere.LiketheProjectManagementcycleofPlanning

Executing/Controllingand

Planning

sense

making

never

ends.

Like

adetective,

as

you

add

more

clues

youredrawyourmap;afterallnotjustanymapwillgetyouoffthemountain.


3/6


AlmostanyaspectofcollectingtheinformationfortheProjectCharteristouchedbystorybased

communications.Forthesakeofthisarticleletsfocusonthree:

1. StakeholderAnalysis2. InitialProjectScope3. SellingtheProjectCharter

StakeholderAnalysisStakeholderswillmakeorbreakthesuccessofaproject.Thisistrulyirrationalstuff.Whatarethe

assumptionspeoplearemakingaboutaproject?Whathistoricalfiltersarecoloringtheirviewsofour

project?Doweunderstandwhatsinitforthem?Whatsthequickestwaytoamassandmanageour

waythroughalltheseperceptions?Andwheretherearepocketsofpotentialresistancehowcanwe

useourinfluencetomakesurethesedonotbecomeobstaclesthatcapsizeourproject?

Trytoseeeverystakeholderasanactoronastage.Startbyunderstandingeachcharacterinyour

play.Everycharacterinaplayhasabackgroundthatinformstheplaysunfoldingstorybutwhich

maynot

be

directly

included

in

the

actions

or

dialogues

of

the

play.

This

is

the

background

stuff.

Too

oftenwearecompelledtoconvinceothersofwhyourprojectissoimportantandwhytheyshouldbe

enthusiasticsupportersofourefforts.

Wedontalwaystakethetimetohearotherpeoplesviewpoints.Wesetouragendaandoffwego.

Evenifwegivepeoplesperspectivesairtimewearentlisteningwithourstoryears.Inotherwords

weareprobablynotreadytomakesenseofwhatsimportanttothisotherpersonandhowthat

mightprovideunanticipatedfuelforacollaborativeideanotinourlineofsight.

Okay,itscounterintuitivebutaccordingtostoryexpertTerrenceGargiulo,theshortestdistance

between

two

people

is

a

story.

Listening

to

our

stakeholders

share

their

stories

can

lead

to

very

positiveoutcomesforourproject.Inthesestorieswewillbeabletounderstandwhatisimportantto

themandwhy.

Sometimestheveryactofbeinglistenedtoopensuppeopletothepossibilityoftakinganactive

interestinourviewpoints.Ofcoursetherearethoseraretimeswhennomatterhowhardyoutryto

makeanopenspaceforotherpeoplesstoriestheywillnottrustyouorthesituationenoughtoshare

them;perhapstheyhavebeenburnedtoomanytimes(fromCharlesSchultztscartoonPeanuts

imaginetheCharlieBrownandLucysyndromewiththefootball).Thesearefewandfarbetween.Like

anygoodprojectmanagerwearetriagingwhere,when,andhowtospendourfiniteenergyand

time.SotheresnoneedtobeDonQuixoteandchaseafterwindmillstakeholders;thoseimpossible

stakeholderwho

will

never

become

champions

of

our

projects.

Asyoumaketheroundsbetweenstakeholdersyouwillbesurprisedhowpeoplesneedsnow

encodedinthecollageofstoriesyouhavebeencollectinginterrelatewithoneanother.Youwill

havestoriestotellthatmatchoratleastdovetailwiththeneedsandagendasofothers.


4/6


Hereisasimpletool:

1. Identifythestakeholder2. Indicatewhethertheyaresupportersoropponentsofyourproject3. DescribeWhatsInItForThem(WIFT)whatsimportanttothem4. Shortdescriptionsandkeywordsofthestoriesyouelicitedthathelpyouunderstandtheir

perspective

5. Liststrategiesofhowyoumightmeetanyoftheirneedsorturnthemintoanallyoriftheyaresupportershowyoucanenlistthemasallies

Stakeholder Pro Con WIFT StoriesStrategies

InitialScopeDuringInitiationwearetryingtopaintapictureoftheprojectthatisamilehighandaninchdeep.

Everyprojectfollowsalifecycleforcollectingandmanagingrequirements.Alargeprojectwillusually

includeaformalprocessofanalysisbeforeevenenteringtheInitiatingPhase.Whetherasmallor

largeproject,userstoriesareoneofthetoolsusedbyprojectteamstogatherrequirements.For

example,insoftwaredevelopmentuserstoriesdescribehowpeopleinteractwithanapplication.

Whenyouarecollectingthesestoriesthinklessintermsoffillingoutatemplate.Usingsoftwareas

anexample,youwantpeopletotalkabouthowtheydotheirjobs,whatwouldmakeiteasier,and

whatpicture

do

they

have

of

themselves

and

their

job

after

the

implementation

of

anew

business

processortheautomationofone.

Asmuchaspossible,askpeopletodescribethesethingstoyouasanarrative.Eventtimelinescanbe

helpful.Bringasimplehighlevelpictureoftheprocesstothepersonyouareinterviewingordraw

onewhileyouarewiththem.Thenusethepicturetoelicitmorestorylikematerial.Thisis

exploratoryrequirementsgathering.Yourjobatthispointistouncoverbusinessvalue.Rememberall

ofthisinformationisbeingusedtodevelopaprojectcharterandultimatelysellthevalueofthe

projecttotheorganization.Requirementswillbefinetunedlateronandeveryrequirementwillbe

evaluatedintermsofitsrisk,valuetotheorganization,itsfeasibility,iseffectonthescopeofa

project,andtheconstraintsofaproject.

SellingtheProjectCharterwithStoriesSofarwevediscussedhowstoriesarealisteningandanalysistoolforprojects.Butwhendoweget

totellsomestories.Cantwecrafttheperfectnarrativetorallythewholeorganizationaroundour

project?Ofcoursewecanbutyoumightbesurprisedathowitsbestdone.


5/6


Storiesaregreatencodersofinformation.Weknowstorieshavetremendouspowertomovepeople

emotionally.Itshouldbesimplethentocraftanairtightnarrativethatwillappealtomostifnotall

peopleandgetthembehindourproject.Itturnsoutnottobethatsimplenorthemosteffectiveuse

ofstories.

Bynowyouhavespokentolotsofpeopleandyouhaveheardlotsofstories,opinions,ideas,

agendas,etcWhenitcomestosellingyourproject,pickoutsomeofthemoreprominentstories

andusethemtopaintacompellingpictureofthefuture.Thesefuturestorieswillstirpeoplesjuices.

Sometimestheremaybesuchapowerfulfuturestorythatpeoplebecomeattachedtoitleadingto

motivation,commitment,andperformance.Recognizethisisreallymoreoftheexceptionthanthe

rule.

Storiesworkbestincollections.Developacollageofcompellingstorieswithpointersandreferences

tolotsofotherpeoplesstories.Thisallowsyoutocastyournetfarandwide.Inthecollageofstories

peoplearemorelikelytoencounteronethathitshome.Thisisastorythatresonateswiththem.

Whenastoryresonateswithsomeonetheybecomestoryrepeaters.Theymaynotrepeatthestory

youhavetoldthem.Believeitornotthatsnotevenimportant.Insteadpeoplearemorelikelyto

shareastory

triggered

by

the

story

told

to

them.

AccordingtoTerrenceGargiulo,theonlyreasontotellastoryistohearastory.Thisishowyou

activatethenetworkofsensemakingintheorganization.Unlikefactscompiledondocumentssitting

onfilecabinets,orthe0sor1sstoredondiskarrays,storiesarenottobemanagedorcontrolledin

thesameways.Storiesworkbyactivatingpeoplesimaginations.Everypersonhasavastarrayof

experiencestheyuseastemplatestointerpretandmaptheworldaroundthem.Informationis

alwaysinassociationwithotherinformation.Thereforeanystorybasedcommunicationstrategywe

usetoexciteournetworkofpeertopeertostorynodesshouldinvolvepeopleascocreatorsof

meaning.

ConclusionStoriesarehowwecommunicateandmakesenseoftheworldaroundus.Becomingmoreawareand

purposefulinhowweelicitpeoplesstoriesleadstomoreeffectiveprojectcommunicationsduringall

phasesofaproject.InthisfirstarticleweexaminedthreeaspectsoftheInitiationPhaseofprojects

touchedbystories;stakeholderanalysis,initialscopingofaproject,andsellingtheprojectcharter.In

ournextarticlewewilllookattherolestoriesplayinthePlanningPhase.


6/6


ABOUTTHEAUTHORSCamperBullhasheldleadershipandmanagementpositionsinbothcommercialandphilanthropicenvironments.Hehasledadivisionofaninternationalsoftware

companyandservedasleadAccountExecutiveforFortune500companiesatboth

GenigraphicsandACI.CamperleddevelopmentoftheACImultimediamarketing

productteamanddevelopedtheircorporateimageasanindustryleaderand

innovatorinthemarket.Healsomanagedthedevelopmentofnewproducts

includingthe

launch

of

wireless

paging

at

Bell

Atlantic.

HisbackgroundindevelopingthestrategicplanningandgrowthinitiativesforVISTA

ComputerServices,includingrestructuringthecompanytobetteraddressthemarket

withaglobaloffer,significantlyhelpedthatcompanygainafootingintheworldwide

softwareindustry.Camperhasdevelopedanddeliveredseveralleadershiptraining

programsinbusinessandindustryaswellasforhighschoolseniorsandforeign

exchangestudents.HeistheauthorofasignificantPMPPrepprogramforthe

purposeofhelpingprojectmanagementprofessionalsprepareforthePMI

certificationexamination.Proficientwithcomputerizedbusinessapplications,Camper

hasbeenabletotransferthesepracticalskillsintousefultrainingtoolshelpingclients

gain

a

fast

yet

comprehensive

understanding

of

the

application

in

their

business

environment.HisextensivetravelandexperiencethroughoutEurope,AfricaandAsia

provideadditionalstrengthandaglobalviewtoCampersplatformof

communicationsandprojectmanagementtraining.

ContactInfo:Email:[email protected]

Phone:(973)3770411

TerrenceL.Gargiulo,MMHSisaneighttimesauthor,internationalspeaker,organizationaldevelopmentconsultantandgroupprocessfacilitatorspecializingin

theuseofstories.HeholdsaMasterofManagementinHumanServicesfromthe

FlorenceHellerSchool,atBrandeisUniversity,andisarecipientofInc.Magazine's

MarketingMaster

Award,

the

2008

HR

Leadership

Award

from

the

Asia

Pacific

HRM

Congress,andisamemberofBrandeisUniversitysathleticHallofFame.Hehas

appearedonFoxTV,CN8,andonCNNradioamongothers.

Highlightsofsomeofhispastandpresentclientsinclude,GM,HP,DTEEnergy,

MicroStrategy,Citrix,Fidelity,FederalReserveBank,Ceridian,CountrywideFinancial,

WashingtonMutual,DreyersIceCream,UNUM,USCoastGuard,BostonUniversity,

Raytheon,CityofLowell,ArthurD.Little,KANACommunications,MerckMedco,

CocaCola,HarvardBusinessSchool,andCambridgeSavingsBank.

Terrenceisafrequentspeakeratinternationalandnationalconferencesincludingthe

AmericanSociety

for

Training

and

Development

(ASTD),

International

Society

for

PerformanceImprovement(ISPI),AcademyofManagement,ConferenceBoard,

LinkageInc,AssociationofBusinessCommunications,andheisaFieldEditorfor

ASTD.HisarticleshaveappearedinAmericanExecutiveMagazine,JournalofQuality

andParticipation,CommunicationWorld,ISPIJournal,andASTDLinks.

ContactInfo:[email protected]

(415)9488087

Gargiulo Stories and Project Management

Documents

Transcript of Gargiulo Stories and Project Management