文/Lee R. Lambert 譯/趙克琛

創(chuàng)新的項目主管會保持團隊成員的生產(chǎn)力并使之專注于項目目標，同時在執(zhí)行過程中節(jié)約時間和金錢。

即使你使用了各種方法來確保項目估算的準確性，你仍然有可能將成本預(yù)算降低30％，進度預(yù)算縮短50％。這是如何做到的呢？關(guān)注那些能夠影響每天項目進展的“不可見”開銷：領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力。位于美國印第安納州卡斯爾頓市的Beohringer Mannheim公司的管理層首先學(xué)習(xí)到了這一點。

這家公司曾嘗試推出一種復(fù)雜的醫(yī)療診斷系統(tǒng)產(chǎn)品，目的是提供居家血糖水平監(jiān)控。此項目初始估計需要3年的開發(fā)時間和1600萬美元的預(yù)算。如果Boehringer Mannheim公司想要停止由強生公司的一項“跳躍性”產(chǎn)品One Touch血糖儀所引起的異常迅速的市場份額流失，他們可沒有36個月的時間。當硝煙散盡時，這個項目的完成只用了18個月和不到1200萬美元。在將產(chǎn)品推向市場之后，公司迅速奪回流失的市場份額并且持續(xù)鞏固了市場地位。此項成功的秘密在于公司強調(diào)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力。

加強項目力量
Boehringer Mannheim公司采用了一系列的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力方法來幫助開發(fā)其創(chuàng)新性的居家血糖監(jiān)控系統(tǒng)。

創(chuàng)立一個共同的愿景和目標并清楚地傳達出去。管理層知道公司不可能長期承受市場份額的流失。為了重獲競爭優(yōu)勢，公司需要盡快得到一個更先進的新產(chǎn)品，這樣，從項目起始只有18個月的時間。公司員工被告知：此項目對公司的未來生死攸關(guān)。

這項“昨天就需要”的需求被傳達給所有被認定有特殊技能和聲望的潛在項目參與者。團隊成員得到建議指出個人和職業(yè)承諾的可能水準將是他們從未經(jīng)歷過的，如果不能專注地投入進來，他們就不用考慮自己了。如果潛在地團隊成員退出將不會帶來任何負面效應(yīng)。

對目標的良好溝通造就了一個由超過200名見多識廣的忠實專業(yè)人員組成的團隊，他們專注于在創(chuàng)紀錄的時間內(nèi)將一個出色的醫(yī)療診斷產(chǎn)品引入消費市場。

明確角色與職責(zé)。借助工作分解結(jié)構(gòu)（WBS）作為框架，項目成員對各自的工作包同初步的職責(zé)分配矩陣有了總體的認識。更為重要的是，每位成員都被鼓勵去置疑工作定義直到他們完全滿意管理目標在技術(shù)上清晰明確，并且在實現(xiàn)時間及成本期望上達成共識。

良好定義的工作包完成指標提供了簡單的監(jiān)控手段以確認達成管理和績效預(yù)期。這種工作分配的決策方法使項目團隊可以仔細評估和考慮由工作內(nèi)容和技能不匹配所造成的潛在影響（對時間和成本估計的準確性）。另外，工作包的一致性和專業(yè)性有助于獲得團隊成員的認同和全心全意發(fā)自內(nèi)心的承諾。

接下來，管理層擴展單個成員的授權(quán)，包括與技能相匹配的權(quán)威。在工作進展度量和問題分析上，管理層借用了“沒有消息就是好消息”哲學(xué)的自由度與靈活性。只有對共同期望的重大破壞時才需要向更高的管理層做正式匯報，其中包括那些糾正措施的建議。

識別關(guān)鍵接口。在一份詳細的輸入/輸出流程圖和工作包級別的WBS的幫助下，項目成員可以確定他們自己特定的工作職責(zé)的時效性在多大程度上與其他工作包相關(guān)聯(lián)。使用關(guān)鍵路徑法（CPM），公認的前導(dǎo)關(guān)系決定了項目時間和工作包的最重要的線性關(guān)系（路徑或鏈）。

為了評估風(fēng)險并考慮單個工作包耗時不確定性和資源可用性的影響，項目團隊采用了計劃評審技術(shù)和蒙特卡羅模擬法。他們分析時間關(guān)聯(lián)接口的圖譜來評估“路徑聚合”的潛在影響，作為這些變數(shù)的一項衍生物，同時，將結(jié)果通知給領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。

適時傳遞合適的信息。由于現(xiàn)代技術(shù)驅(qū)動的信息處理環(huán)境，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)團隊通常會很快地獲取項目信息。實際上，信息過載成為了今天的項目決策者所面臨的最大問題：太多的信息太快地傳播并經(jīng)常彼此沖突。

在這個項目里，對集成邏輯網(wǎng)絡(luò)計劃法和相關(guān)工具技術(shù)地謹慎使用為每位成員提供了清晰的視野以確定其工作目標并有效指明實現(xiàn)途徑。

有了清晰并完整定義的項目信息提供的視角，項目領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的角色轉(zhuǎn)換成在特定環(huán)境和項目情況下受到重視的不同的人。換句話說，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力不再被認為是項目經(jīng)理的獨有領(lǐng)域。所有項目成員都有機會接觸關(guān)鍵的項目時間和接口信息。被充分授權(quán)的任何成員都應(yīng)理解他們承擔(dān)更高責(zé)任的義務(wù)，并且在需要的時候擔(dān)負強有力的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)責(zé)任。這種工作層面上的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力通常被看作“及時、有效的溝通”。

使用關(guān)鍵路徑法（CPM）規(guī)劃項目為領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力建立了一種框架。通過考慮諸多輸入的一系列“如果，怎樣”的處理程序，我們可以迅速的評估接口責(zé)任和接口連接中斷地潛在影響。處理程序的輸入包括樂觀/悲觀時間估計的組合、浮動變量、資源約束、標準差范圍和以往工作包績效等。通過這樣的“如果，怎樣”程序，我們可以做出預(yù)測和決策。

在愉悅的氣氛中努力工作。項目領(lǐng)導(dǎo)必須要理解創(chuàng)建和培育一個團隊合作環(huán)境的重要性，在這種環(huán)境里，每位成員時刻對他們自己和他們所作的工作感覺良好。

在那個新的醫(yī)療診斷系統(tǒng)中，每位成員的正常工作時間是每周六到七天，每天12到14小時。而且，沒有人曾被要求過加班。項目成員準確的知道要做的事情，他們把“搞定它”作為解決問題的最有效方法。

在一個非常緊張的項目環(huán)境中，項目成員花在工作上的時間通常要比花在家人身上的要少得多。為了保持高昂的士氣并緩解項目緊張造成的疲憊，項目領(lǐng)導(dǎo)投入了時間和精力去創(chuàng)建和培育一個“愉悅的團隊”，它的目的在于促進共同解決問題。

由公司支持的創(chuàng)新性領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力活動包括：贈品、kickoff大會、頻繁的聚會、午餐、各種娛樂和“帶家人來工作”狂歡會。這些“愉悅”的開銷是12萬美元，但項目上可歸功于這些領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力驅(qū)動的概念所節(jié)省的勞動力成本遠高于12萬美元（25萬小時，平均每小時50美元的免費勞動）。

寶貴的指導(dǎo)
由領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力活動帶來的時間和財務(wù)上的節(jié)省的意義重大并給人留下深刻印象，但是，這些節(jié)省并不包括用正常的一半時間將高質(zhì)量產(chǎn)品推向市場的實際收益，也不包括錯誤開端的成本和由無效領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力引起的返工。

項目管理為有效的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力建立了基礎(chǔ)，它在項目各個層面上將個人的潛力轉(zhuǎn)化成了績效。

領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力實現(xiàn)里程碑
接觸關(guān)鍵的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力，美國印第安納州卡斯爾頓市Boehinger Mannheim公司在非常緊張的進度下開發(fā)出一項重要的新產(chǎn)品。以下是該公司執(zhí)行的步驟：

八月
●組建團隊?；诮?jīng)驗、激情和承諾進行內(nèi)部招聘。

九月
●創(chuàng)立團隊名稱、口號和標識。讓團隊來決定這些。所有的參考資料、宣傳和溝通都使用團隊名稱、口號和標識。
●組織正式的團隊kickoff會議。主要演講人羅恩·梅爾斯的講話激勵了團隊。
●召開由關(guān)鍵產(chǎn)品開發(fā)領(lǐng)域組織的整合團隊計劃會議，如儀表、化工、市場和后勤等。這種方法增加了團對成員的參與、接受和授權(quán)。

十月
●發(fā)布月度團隊新聞。突出表現(xiàn)團隊的成就和成員的私人重大事件，如分娩，死亡，小孩的成就等。
●開始兩星期一次的團隊午餐。
●成員生日的正式通知。用生日卡和月度聚會來慶祝團隊成員和其他重要人員的生日。
●分發(fā)團隊的小禮物給成員的家人。每月獎勵印有團隊名稱、標識和口號的茶杯、風(fēng)箏、電熱盤、筆和鑰匙環(huán)等。

十一月
●組織團隊成員與其他職能部門的月度信息交流午餐。這些聚會有助于消除“組織隔離焦慮”，并且促進尋求問題的最佳解決方案。

十二月
●主持團隊的家庭圣誕聚會。項目經(jīng)理扮演帶著禮物的圣誕老人。

一月
●在獎勵午宴和認可活動中表彰具有突出表現(xiàn)的個人和小組。

五月
●組織在工作場所的一天的飲食娛樂活動招待成員和家人。
●開始著手“回歸”規(guī)劃。在項目結(jié)束時，單獨約見團隊成員以評估他們對各自所屬的組織角色的需求和想法。在接下來的三個多月里，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)著手去實現(xiàn)這些愿望。

七月
●召開一個項目終結(jié)慶功會。給所有團隊成員播放專業(yè)制作的記錄了從項目開始到結(jié)束的錄像，包括重大事件、成就和所克服的困難等。錄像包含了許多成員的個人訪談，講述他們所學(xué)到的經(jīng)驗和增長的價值。

作者簡介：Lee R. Lambert是美國俄亥俄州哥倫布市Lambert咨詢公司的項目管理顧問、培訓(xùn)師和演講人。他參與了組建PMI的PMP認證計劃，曾于1995年獲得PMI優(yōu)異服務(wù)獎。

原文如下：
　　　　　　　　　　Leading The Charge

By Lee R. Lambert, PMP

Innovative project leaders keep team participants productive and dedicated to the project objective – and save time and money in the process.

Even after you do “all the right things” to ensure your project’s estimate is on the money, you still can reduce your estimate by as much as 30 percent in total project cost and as much as 50 percent in project duration. How? Pay attention to the “invisible” cost that affects day-to-day project progress: leadership, Management at Castleton, Ind., USA-based Boehringer Mannheim Corp. learned this lesson first-hand.

The firm was attempting to introduce a complex medical diagnostic system product for in-home monitoring of blood glucose levels. The project originally was estimated at three years of development and a budget of approximately $16 million. But Boehringer Mannheim did not have the luxury of 36 months of development if it was going to stop the incredibly rapid market share erosion caused by a “l(fā)eap frog” product – Johnson & Johnson’s One Touch.

When the smoke cleared, this project was completed in only 18 months at a cost of less than $12 million. The company quickly recaptured lost market share after introduction of the deliverable and has gone on to solidify and maintain its market position. The “secret” to this accomplishment was the firm’s emphasis on leadership.

Empowering projects
Boehringer Mannheim employed a number of leadership techniques to deliver its innovative in-home blood glucose monitoring system.

Creating and Articulating a Common Vision/Goal. Management knew the company could not sustain deterioration of its market for long. To recoup competitive advantage, the company needed a new, much improved product as soon as possible – in this case, 18 months from project initiation. Employees were informed how vital this project was to the company’s future.

This “need it yesterday” requirement was communicated to all potential project participants, who were identified primarily for their specific skill sets and reputations. Team members were advised that the probable level of personal and professional commitment would be unlike anything they had ever experienced and that they should remove themselves from consideration if they could not immerse themselves. There were no negative consequences if potential team members bowed out.

Good communication of goals resulted in a team of more than 200 informed and committed professionals all focused on introducing a superior medical diagnostics product to the consumer marketplace in record time.

Clarity in Roles and Responsibilities. Using the work breakdown structure (WBS) as the framework, project participants gained a thorough understanding of their assigned work package with the initial responsibility assignment matrix. More importantly, each contributor was expected to challenge the work definition until that contributor was perfectly satisfied that the management objective was technically unambiguous and that there was mutual agreement on realistic time and cost expectations.

Well-defined work package completion criteria allowed easy monitoring to confirm that both management’s and the performer’s expectations were met. This approach to determining work assignments allowed the team to carefully evaluate and consider the potential impact associated with a work content/skill set match disconnect (the accuracy of estimating time and cost). In addition, the consistent, professional work package led to obtaining performer buy-in and whole-hearted, internalized commitment.

Next, Management extended total empowerment rights (including authority consistent with the confirmed skill set capability) to the individual performers. Management also invoked the freedom and flexibility of a “no news is good news” philosophy in work progress measurement and problem analysis. Only significant disruptions of “shared” expectations required formal reporting (including suggested corrective action to be taken) to higher levels of management.

Critical Interface Recognition. The project participants determined how critical the timing (start and completion) of their specific work responsibilities was in relation to other project work packages using a detailed input/output work flow diagram and the work package level of the WBS. Because a critical path method (CPM) was utilized, the mutually agreed precedent relationships determined the project duration and its most “l(fā)inear critical” sequence (path or chain) of work packages.

To assess risks and consider the impacts of uncertainty and resource availability on the individual work package durations, the team employed the program evaluation and review technique and Monte Carlo simulation. They analyzed a spectrum of timing-related interfaces to assess the potential impacts of “path convergence” as a derivative of these variables – and leaders were kept apprised of the results.

The Right Information at the Right Time. Thanks to today’s technology-driven information processing environment, leaders often get project information too quickly. In fact, information overload may well be the biggest problem facing today’s project decision-makers – too much information, too fast and often conflicting.

In this project, the conscientious use of an integrated logic network schedule approach and its related tools and techniques provided everyone in the project with a clear view of where they and their work were going and effectively highlighted ho to get there.

With clear, well-defined project information as the window, the role of project leader “rotated” to whomever was appropriate under specific circumstances or unique project conditions. In other words, leadership was not considered the sole domain of the project managers. All project participants had access to critical project timing and interface information. All project participants, having been fully empowered, understood their obligation to “step up” and take a strong leadership position when it was required. This working-level leadership could most easily be recognized as “timely and effective communication.”

The use of a CPM approach to planning and scheduling the project established the framework for leadership. Interface responsibilities and potential impacts of “missed” interface connections were quickly assessed through a series of “what-if” manipulations, considering a variety of inputs. These inputs included combinations of optimistic/pessimistic time estimates, float variables, resource constraints, standard deviation ranges and past work package performance. From these what-if exercises, forecasts and decisions were made.

Hard Work Within a Fun Atmosphere. Leaders must understand the importance of creating and nurturing a team-based environment where individual contributors feel good about the work they are doing and about themselves whenever they are in that environment.

On the new medical diagnostic system project, the normal workday for any individual contributor on the team was 12 – 14 hours, six to seven days per week. Yet, no one was ever asked to work overtime. Project team members knew exactly what was expected and needed, and they simply set about “getting it done” the most effective way possible.

In an intense project environment, individual contributors typically spend significantly more waking hours with their project team members than they do with their own family members. To keep morale high and ease the strain of project intensity, project leaders invested time and effort in creating and nurturing a “fun team” mentality, where the focus was consistently on getting things done together.

Innovative company-sponsored leadership activities included giveaways, a team kickoff party, frequent lunches, parties, a variety of entertainment and a “bring the family to work” day in a carnival-like atmosphere with rides, games and toys. The cost of “fun” approached $120,000, but the labor cost savings to the project – much of it attributable to these leadership-driven concepts – amounted to more than $12 million (250,000 hours of “free labor” at an average charge rate of $50/hour).

Invaluable Guidance
The leadership-driven financial and time “savings” on this project were significant and impressive, but these numbers do not begin to consider the substantial beneficial market implications of getting a high-quality product delivered in half the normal time. Nor do these number consider the cost of false starts and rework typically associated with ineffective leadership.

Project management creates the foundation for effective leadership, which converts personal potential into realized performance at all project levels.

Leader Milestones
With key leadership initiatives, Castleton, Ind., USA-based Boehringer Mannheim Corp. developed a vital new product under a very tight schedule. Here’s how the company dealt with the execution phase:

August
●Formed team. Recruited almost exclusively from within based on experience, enthusiasm and commitment.

September
●Established team name, slogan and logo. Allowed the team to determine this. All references, promotions and communication utilized the team name, slogan and logo.
●Conducted official team kick-off meeting. Keynote speaker Ron Meyers (then coach of the Indianapolis Colts football team) provided team inspiration.
●Held integrated team planning sessions organized by key product development areas, such as meter, chemistry strip, marketing and logistics. This approach increased team member participation, buy in and empowerment.

October
●Created and published monthly team newsletter. Highlighted team achievements and team member personal milestones, including births, deaths, children’s accomplishments.
●Began biweekly team lunch series.
●Started formally acknowledging birthdays. Team members’ and significant others’ birthdays were celebrated with cards and monthly parties.
●Distributed team “goodies” to team member’s homes. Cups, kites, hot plates, pens and key rings with the team name, logo and slogan were awarded monthly.

November
●Planned and conducted monthly “information exchange” lunch sessions with team members and others in the same functional area. These meetings helped avoid “organization separation anxiety” and stimulate the search for the best solutions to problems.

December
●Hosted a team family Christmas party. The project manager played the role of Santa with gifts.

January
●Recognized monthly individual and group performance within the work breakdown structure at a luncheon awards and recognition program.

May
Planned and conducted a team day at the worksite with entertainment and food for family members and guests.
Began “re-entry” planning sessions. Met individually with team members to assess their needs and wants regarding their role in the home organization at project completion. Over the next three months, the leader acted on those wishes.

July
Held a project completion celebration. Presented every team member with a professionally produced videotape that chronicled the project from start to finished – significant events and accomplishments and problems they had overcome. The tape included many personal interviews with team members regarding the experience and the value they experienced.

Lee R. Lambert, PMP, is a project management consultant, trainer and speaker with Lambert Consulting Group Inc., Columbus, Ohio, USA. He was involved in founding the Project Management Institute’s (PMI’s) Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Program and received the Distinguished Service Award from PMI in 1995.

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