Project Managers' Coffee Chat with Tim & Merv

Through personal anecdotes and real-life examples, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss how to implement effective governance structures, navigate compliance challenges, and maintain transparency and integrity. They share valuable lessons learned, from dealing with abrupt regulatory changes to ensuring alignment with senior stakeholders. Their stories emphasize the importance of knowing the contract, adhering to ethical guidelines, and maintaining visibility.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Your hosts provide lessons in anecdotal form where adherence to governance and compliance were important factors in their managing projects:

• be the manager of the project and manage according to the governance structure
• don't accept informal changes to compliance requirements even if requested by senior individuals
• be prepared to comply with unexpected changes required by law or regulation
• understand that some compliance requirements extend to your own history or behavior
• know your contract and the governance and compliance requirements within it; be prepared to challenge non-adherence
• keep project requirements visible to the team
• take obscure, non-applicable requirements in stride and don't challenge if they do not affect your project

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches – Governance and Compliance are Paramount

00:55 Tim begins with the first anecdote of how a former supervisor challenged him to make project decisions for himself as an act of proper governance.

02:42 Merv tells of an experience where the senior stakeholder from the client side decided to change the cadence of a significant status meeting. Merv was schooled by his own management to never acquiesce to such changes in compliance requirements, even when requested by individuals above his authority. Such changes require formal agreement.

05:03 Tim offers a story where a government agency changed a significant requirement as a matter of regulation. His team had to scramble to remain in compliance.

08:06 Merv provides an example of compliance requirements that go beyond the system requirements of the project – compliance requirements that extend to the personal behaviors and histories of team members themselves. Tim extends that to his own experience of avoiding any conflicts of interest.

11:26 Merv's next anecdote provides a lesson in knowing the contract and in challenging others (even your customers!) when a compliance issue arises.

15:45 Tim provides a practical example of how a former manager used visual tools to keep the project's progress visible to the team, which helped the team maintain its compliance with timeline requirements.

18:21 Merv concludes this episode with an experience where his organization had to comply with seemingly obscure, but non-applicable, contractual requirements in order to even bid on a project. He advises you to not be surprised by such requests, and to take them in stride.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome offer practical advice on formalizing project structures, using automated tools like Jira and Microsoft Project, conducting regular audits, and developing comprehensive communication plans. The discussion also highlights the importance of integrating governance and compliance into every phase of project management to ensure successful outcomes and stakeholder confidence. Join them for actionable strategies that you can consider for your projects in the near future.

Main Take-Aways

Practical tips, tools, and techniques for implementing solid governance structures and compliance measures on your projects:

1) formalize governance and compliance in a deliverable such as the project charter

2) implement automated tools to reduce the burden of complying manually

3) derive governance and compliance naturally by following good project management practice

4) consider Monte Carlo simulations to help with risk analysis

5) keep governance and compliance visible and transparent

6) perform compliance audits using teams outside of your projects

7) implement a formal quality assurance process as a compliance measure

8) the effort to institute formal governance and compliance easily offsets the probable rework and wasted effort from not having them in place

9) develop key performance indicators to measure against

10) formalize escalation procedures

11) include governance and compliance in your formal project communication plans

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Establish Governance and Compliance on Your Projects

00:54 Tim begins with the first tip of this episode, that of formalizing governance and compliance in writing, perhaps using deliverables such as the team charter or project charter. Document your decision-making process.

03:01 Merv advises that to make governance and compliance more acceptable and reliable and less of a burden in time and effort, consider using automated tools to schedule, track, and formalize them.

04:26 Tim offers a commonsense approach of following good project management practice to help ensure governance and compliance strategies to be derived naturally.

06:36 Merv wonders about the usefulness of Monte Carlo simulations for risk analysis to inform your compliance processes. Tim assures you that it's a useful tool.

08:46 Tim next promotes the importance of transparency and visibility of your compliance processes, including scheduling them on the project timeline and formally reporting findings.

10:45 Merv has observed that formal project reviews/audits using senior project management experts not associated with the project have enhanced compliance with governance requirements.

11:24 Tim makes a strong case for formal quality assurance on projects as a significant aspect of your compliance measures. He offers a fourfold (high level) checklist to help ensure compliance: training, process documentation, requisite equipment, and sufficient time to execute.

14:35 Merv reminds you (and us) that the additional time and effort of implementing governance and compliance) saves time over the life of the project by preventing inevitable rework.

15:56 Merv then advises that you develop a series of key performance indicators (KPIs) at the outset of the project and measure your ongoing compliance against them.

17:28 Tim states that having properly documented escalation procedures in place will aid the compliance process.

18:42 Merv adds to that by recommending a formal communication plan to include communicating adherence to the governance and compliance requirements of the project.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they delve into the crucial aspects of governance and compliance in project management. This episode focuses on implementing effective strategies for governance and compliance, framed within the context of ethics and morals. They discuss challenges like manual data entry, the importance of transparent reporting structures, role definitions, and the need for continuous training and mentoring. The conversation highlights the role of compliance in building trust, mitigating risks, and ensuring project success, emphasizing the integration of technical and human factors.

Main Take-Aways

Strategies for implementing governance and compliance on your projects:

• having good systems, preferably automated systems, in place to avoid the reluctance of project managers to follow governance and compliance processes
• establishing data gathering processes specific to governance and compliance
• establishing clear roles and responsibilities
• establishing compliance reporting
• establishing decision-making and escalation processes
• establishing compliance review milestones
• knowing the laws and regulations and their impact on your projects
• coaching and mentoring your teams in compliance processes
• gathering compliance requirements for implementing on your projects
• managing risk through the establishment of governance and compliance processes
• building trust and understanding through adhering to compliance requirements
• how governance and compliance processes are also human factor considerations for project leadership

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Strategies for Implementing Governance and Compliance

00:27 Recapping the context of the governance and compliance episodes for this week, and setting the stage for this episode's focus on strategies for implementing governance and compliance.

01:17 The lack of good systems, especially automated systems, often result in project managers not wanting to take the time and effort for adhering to governance and compliance.

02:14 Establishing data gathering processes to set effective governance structures in place.

03:12 Establishing clear roles and responsibilities across the team and client subject matter experts.

03:56 Establishing good compliance reporting processes.

04:31 Establishing solid decision-making processes and escalation paths.

05:06 Establishing compliance review milestones in the project timeline.

05:45 Knowing the laws, regulations, rules etc. with every client that you serve that must be complied with.

08:44 Coaching and mentoring team members and stakeholders in compliance processes that you will undertake on the project.

09:15 Using requirements gathering to ensure compliance requirements are identified and documented.

11:26 Managing risk through the establishment of effective governance and compliance processes.

15:02 Building trust and understanding, developing relationships are significant benefits of adhering to compliance measures.

18:26 Tying governance and compliance processes to the human factors involved in project leadership where these processes are an extension of your ethical approach to project management.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they discuss the significant positive impacts of adherence to compliance, including better risk management, legal compliance, and overall project success. Learn proactive strategies for integrating compliance into project timelines, the importance of staying current with regulations, and the benefits of maintaining clear governance structures. Discover how these practices protect your organization from legal and financial penalties while enhancing stakeholder trust and reputation, driving efficiency, and clarifying roles and responsibilities.

Main Take-Aways

Why do we implement governance and compliance on our projects? Some reasons include the following:

• adhering to laws, regulations, and performance standards
• preparing for compliance from the outset
• compliance monitoring and decision-making
• guarding clients' reputations
• challenges of not having a clear governance structure
• consequences of non-compliance
• project efficiency resulting from compliance

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Project Governance and Compliance Essentials

00:27 Following the previous podcast episode on defining governance and compliance as human factors that project leaders need to develop and adhere to, this episode discusses the impact of having good governance and compliance to your project success.

00:56 The importance of compliance to managing project risk, especially as it pertains to laws, regulations, and performance standards.

03:50 Preparing for compliance from the outset of your projects.

04:26 Legal and regulatory adherence – factors beyond just the execution of the project.

06:08 Compliance monitoring and its role in decision-making, reporting, and assuring your clients of adherence to laws and regulations. Guarding your clients' reputations.

09:38 Challenges of not having a clear governance structure (e.g., re-judicating past decisions, project delays, complacency, unclear roles and responsibilities, etc.).

12:00 Consequences of non-compliance with the governance structure (e.g., lack of direction, delays, financial penalties, loss of reputation, disbarment, etc.).

14:39 Importance of project efficiency resulting from proper governance in place, including considering quality assurance as a compliance measure. Having operational efficiency through implementing compliance.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome unpack the critical aspects of governance and compliance in project management. This episode delves into the significance of integrating governance frameworks and compliance processes into project charters and management plans to ensure smooth project initiation and completion. The discussion emphasizes risk mitigation, defining team roles and responsibilities, and maintaining transparency throughout the project lifecycle. Key insights include the importance of ethical behavior, adherence to regulations, and the role of compliance in enhancing project efficiency, team morale, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Main Take-Aways

Following the human factors of ethics and morals, governance and compliance are important to enhancing our performance as project leaders. This podcast begins the discussion:

• defining governance and compliance in project leadership to set the context
• the fundamental role of governance and compliance
• key components of good governance and compliance
• visibility and transparency of governance structure and adherence to compliance measures
• enhancing risk mitigation
• improving project efficiency
• testaments to the health of the project and project management
• overcoming resistance to compliance measures and reasons why project managers often resist
• benefits of governance and compliance

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Why Project Governance and Compliance Matter

00:28 Putting governance and compliance in context as a follow-on from the previous week's podcasts in ethics and morals – process of human factors, or both?

01:45 Defining governance and compliance to guide the discussions of the next several podcast episodes.

02:52 The fundamental role of governance and compliance for the project leader: Are we ready to start the project? Have we completed the project? Did we follow governance completely?

05:02 Key components of governance and compliance: project charter, compliance audits as project plan milestones, roles and responsibilities, risk mitigation plan, etc.

08:18 The Importance of visibility and transparency of governance and compliance. Creating a project environment of trust and confidence.

09:26 Enhancing risk mitigation through compliance measures.

10:02 Improving project efficiency through adherence to governance and compliance audits.

12:13 Governance and compliance are testaments to the health of the project and to the health of your ability to manage the project, both to you as the project leader and to the organizations you serve.

13:46 Overcoming resistance to compliance measures – resistance coming from the misconception that they are an impediment to project progress.

15:17 Reasons why project managers often resist fully complying with governance include: time consuming effort (as noted above), complexity, added work, additional cost, etc. However the cost of compliance is often less than the cost of not complying.

16:19 Benefits of effective governance and compliance:

16:34 … improved project success

17:05 … enhancing our customer's ability to comply with their own customers' requirements

17:43 … better risk management

18:58 … more satisfied clients

19:25 … enhanced reputation

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the vital role of ethics and morals in project management through personal anecdotes and professional insights. They discuss the significance of ethical behavior in decision-making, early career challenges with ethical dilemmas, and the impact of cultural differences on ethical standards. The conversation also highlights the importance of addressing issues rather than people, fostering team collaboration, and standing up against unethical practices. Key stories include the influence of a whistleblower, handling fixed-price projects, assessing organizational culture, and a notable instance of returning overbid funds to a client, emphasizing the need to maintain ethical appearances in all situations.

Main Take-Aways

Stories are powerful teachers. Today's story lessons put the hosts in situations where adherence to ethics and morals were important factors in individual and organizational conduct:

• pay attention to mentors, especially in areas of ethics and morals
• avoid even the smallest of breaches of professional conduct
• confront the issue not the person
• maintain your ethical standards even in situations where the other party does not hold to the same standards
• whistleblowing is appropriate when you observe improper behavior
• look out for your team
• consider when it is or is not appropriate to take shortcuts
• observe your client's culture to understand how they might behave in various situations
• act rightly even when not anticipated by the other party
• avoid every perception of what could be interpreted as wrongdoing

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches – Ethics and Morals at the Forefront

01:16 Tim kicks off this episode with a personal story of how a wise manager guided him in how to make ethical decisions or raise project issues.

03:34 Merv tells of a seemingly minor breach when as a young person he observed a colleague attempting to discover salary amounts of fellow employees.

05:05 Tim tells of a difficult employment situation where the written rule was that there was to be no confrontation, which presented him with the dilemma of how to raise issues. His answer – confront the situation, not the person.

06:37 Merv muses about global perspectives on ethics where in some cultures bribery and other such practices are acceptable. He provides an example that hinted at impropriety, but he could not be certain.

07:42 Tim piggybacks on that example with one of his own from another country. What looked like bribery turned out to be a serendipitous find for his organization.

09:06 Merv gives an account of how one of his colleagues was put into a difficult situation as he resorted to whistleblowing, and some of the downstream repercussions of doing what he felt was the right thing.

10:52 Tim tells of a happy project experience where a manager ensured teamwork through all team members pulling together. Although not an ethics-related vignette, it does provide a moral application to the definition of team.

13:15 Merv confesses his struggle (his personal struggle) with what he considers are ethical challenges in fixed-price projects, where it is occasionally acceptable to take shortcuts to meet deadlines.

15:24 Tim likes to get insights about his client's company culture and their own standards (ethical or otherwise) by studying the bulletin boards in the break room

16:39 Merv recounts a situation where his organization had significantly overbid one aspect of a contract they had won. His manager repaid monies that would not be expended by the team.

18:34 Merv ends the episode with what could be perceived as a suspicious contract award when he saw a picture in the newspaper of the winning executive playing golf with the contract sponsor the day after the award. Not a perception you want to leave, especially if the situation was completely above board.

Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the vital role of ethics and mentorship in project management. They offer actionable tips for integrating ethical practices, such as leading by example, understanding PMI's Code of Ethics, and establishing clear communication and anonymous reporting systems. The discussion covers the importance of mentorship, periodic ethics training, and using ethical performance metrics.

Main Take-Aways

Practical tips, tools, and techniques for conducting your projects with attention to ethics and ethical behavior:

1) know your ethics and values in advance of any decision you may be faced with

2) set the example

3) adhere to PMI's code of Ethics

4) address team members' concerns about whistleblowing

5) foster a speak-up culture

6) have a personal questionnaire to guide you in whether you should raise an ethical concern

7) document well

8) seek advice and mentorship

9) consider establishing an anonymous reporting system

10) plan ahead for how to deal with ethical issues should they arise

11) build ethics processes into your project charters

12) train team members on ethical considerations

13) conduct periodic project audits to include ethical considerations

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Maintaining an Ethical Project Environment

01:31 Tim provides the first tip by asking whether we know our ethics and values in advance.

02:05 Merv piggybacks on this idea by recommending that you set the example, the standard. Be consistent in your actions.

02:34 Merv goes on to stress the importance of adhering to Project Management's Code of Ethics and ethical decision-making framework. He describes the five As of the framework.

04:11 Tim raises the concern many practitioners have about raising ethical concerns because of potential repercussions to their careers. Merv offers that fostering a speak-up culture goes a long way to allay these concerns.

07:36 Merv provides a four-part internal questionnaire when faced with the dilemma of whether to raise ethical concerns.

08:29 Tim recommends that you keep good documentation to support the reporting of ethical concerns.

10:18 Tim also recommends that you seek ethical advice and mentorship from experienced advisors.

11:22 Merv considers the value of an anonymous reporting system to capture ethical concerns on the project to create a safe reporting environment.

13:18 Tim advises you to plan ahead for how you will act/react in case an ethical consideration is raised on your project. Merv add that you should have communication protocols in place to address these should they arise.

14:31 Merv provides solid process recommendations to build ethics considerations into the project/team charters and to provide periodic ethics training to the whole team.

16:06 Merv and Tim contemplate whether adherence to ethical standards could be monitored using quantitative methods.

17:55 Merv describes one of his most effective techniques, that of formal ethical audits conducted by an independent team of experienced practitioners.T

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they explore the critical role of ethics in project management. This episode delves into the significance of company rules, leading by example, and fostering open communication. Key discussions focus on handling conflicts of interest, maintaining ethical behavior amid challenges like quality versus schedule, ensuring confidentiality, and balancing stakeholder interests. Listeners will gain practical tips for incorporating ethics into continuous improvement processes and building a strong ethical culture from the outset of a project.

Main Take-Aways

Strategies for the development and implementation of a strong sense of ethics and morals on your projects:

• follow organizational norms
• demonstrate ethical behavior (be visible)
• adhere to project agreements
• communicate clearly and openly
• foster a speak-up culture
• offer critique effectively and positively
• balance individual and group ethics
• handle ethical dilemmas when pressured to compromise
• develop strong documentation and training to create an ethical project environment
• use lessons learned to review ethical behavior
• seek feedback regarding ethical behavior

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Fostering Ethics and Morals on Your Projects

00:29 Focusing on strategies for employing ethics and morals in project management.

01:08 Following organizational norms, culture, and politics are indications that you are engaging responsibly with your value system and ethics.

02:07 Demonstrating ethical behavior, trustworthiness, and mutual respect in your conduct as an example to those you lead. Leading by example.

03:22 Responsibility, accountability, adherence to project agreements are indicators of ethical behavior on the project.

03:43 The importance of clear communication, openness, and consistency with action.

04:53 Fostering a speak-up culture shows a willingness to lead ethically.

06:57 The ability to offer critique in a positive manner when you observe areas for improvement shows ethical leadership.

07:18 Balancing individual and group ethics, maintaining respect for self and for the group. Maintaining confidentiality.

09:17 Handling ethical dilemmas in projects under pressure to compromise (e.g., quality vs. schedule, balancing competing priorities, etc.).

11:35 Dealing with conflict-of-interest issues on projects. Adhering to laws and regulations. Being sensitive to social responsibility.

14:08 Building an ethical culture in projects to include: predictability, consistency, actions aligning with words, accountability.

15:59 Using project documentation (e.g., project charter, team charter) to keep a record of expected ethical conduct on the project. Training team members in what is expected of them ethically and morally.

17:15 Using lessons learned to review how well you and your team performed against the ethical guidelines set out at the beginning of the project.

19:06 Seeking feedback from your team and stakeholders regarding your adherence to ethical standards and for continuous improvement.

Join hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome as they explore the critical role of ethics and trust in project management. Learn how to align personal and team values for better project outcomes and foster a collaborative, respectful work environment. The hosts discuss embedding values into expected behaviors, building trust through consistent actions, and strategies for managing stakeholder relationships, especially with clients who have different risk tolerances. They also provide insights on handling practical ethical dilemmas and highlight how ethical leadership can lead to better decision-making and project success.

Main Take-Aways

Why you must exhibit a strong sense of ethics and morals as you lead your projects:

• to show consistency across both professional and personal conduct
• to remain consistent to your values
• to manage diverse sets of values among your teams
• to balance personal and group values
• to understand others' behaviors
• to show responsibility, accountability, collaboration, trust, credibility, dependability
• to increase the probability of project success

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: The Importance of Behaving Ethically and Morally

00:41 Going deeper into the why of incorporating ethics and morals into your project management.

01:37 Consistency in professional and personal ethical conduct.

02:04 Changing your behavior by reassessing your values.

03:47 Managing diverse values (and therefore behaviors) in your teams.

05:44 Balancing personal and group values, especially across various cultural norms.

07:04 Understanding values does not mean changing values, but you do need to live your values. Your job is not to change people, but to understand the impact of their behaviors and use this as an opportunity to mentor.

09:40 The importance of ethics in daily project management: responsibility, accountability, collaboration, trust, credibility, dependability.

12:59 Managing risk and risk tolerance as you exhibit ethics and morals on your project through consistency, credibility, and expertise.

15:45 Acting morally and ethically in a variety of project situations.

17:36 The role of ethics in promoting project success.

18:21 The role of ethics in how you act and behave as you lead your projects.

In this episode, hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome explore the foundational role of ethics and morals in project management. They clarify definitions of ethics and morals, discussing how values underpin ethical behavior and leadership. Key attributes include responsibility, respect, fairness, and honesty, with detailed implications for project managers. The conversation highlights trust, impartiality, equitable treatment, and transparency, underscoring how these values foster a motivated and successful team. The episode also reflects on the universal nature of ethical values across cultures and the long-term benefits of maintaining ethical conduct throughout the project lifecycle, guided by the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Main Take-Aways

Ethics and morals are the backbone of great leadership. This podcast begins the discussion:

• defining ethics and morals in project leadership to set the context
• role of values in shaping ethics
• cultural considerations
• group-level influence on individual actions
• core moral principles of leadership
• benefits of acting ethically and morally at all times

Show Notes

Today's Project Managers Coffee Chat: Project Success Through Ethical and Moral Leadership

00:27 Introducing the topic of ethics and morals in project management with a definition of the terms and setting the context for this week's episodes.

02:04 The role of values in shaping ethics.

03:13 Cultural considerations in ethics and ethical behaviors.

04:35 The influence of the larger group on your behavior as an individual.

05:45 Leadership and ethics in project management, and the core moral principles for to guide you throughout the lifecycle of a project:

07:56 … responsibility and accountability

08:52 … respect in leadership for the team and for yourself

09:42 … fairness and impartiality in leadership

11:03 … honesty and integrity in leadership

14:39 Benefits of acting ethically and morally in all aspects of managing your projects, including predictability of behavior, trust and credibility, enhanced reputation, and improved morale.

15:43 Considering application of ethics and morals when dealing with cross-cultural ethical standards and the varied upbringing of each team member.