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Project Management Topics: Top Ten Gripes About Project Staff
By Sarah Casseday, Associate, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

If I were the David Letterman of Project Management and had to compile a "Top Ten List" of my gripes about project staff, it would look something like this:

The normal project management challenges such as being ready for discussions with clients, preparing quality deliverables, and knowing your stuff technically are all things that a project manager can logically (and reasonably) address. There are tons of books written on effective project management, getting the best work from employees, etc. However, it's extremely difficult to explain to a talented and productive analyst why good manners or appearance are essential.

There are a couple of subtle approaches for getting the message across. One method is to comment on excellence and shortcomings of others: "Whenever I meet with Jean, I always feel like she gives me her complete attention during the time set aside." "The team from XYZ always commands attention because they are so well prepared and have taken exceptional care in the way they appear and present themselves."

Another less subtle approach is one I have used successfully. I've simply shown my Top Ten List to the project team and made a game out of assigning cartoon or TV characters to each item over the course of several team meetings. I knew the approach was successful when I overhead a team member describing someone as "Daisy Mae" (inappropriate dress). This approach also has the advantage of giving the team a shared lexicon, which contributes to bonding and camaraderie.

Finally, the project manager must take care to set the example for the team to follow. Arriving late for meetings sends the signal that it's all right to be late for meetings. Constantly tapping on a Blackberry signals that there are things more important elsewhere. Like managing quality, managing the team's ability to put in a good appearance starts at the top.

Business Development Pipelines and Opportunity Tracking
By John Bender, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

Everyone knows the business development process for government contractors is different than commercial processes for selling boxes, widgets or whatever. The problem is more complex with longer sales cycles, more folks involved on both sides and, probably, more competition. So, why would you think the simple sales automation tools like Salesforce.com, Goldmine, etc., would be effective in keeping track of your government opportunities? Using spreadsheets is even more challenging!

The best intentions and even training won't help if you make BD too difficult. Homegrown systems and spreadsheets often get in the way rather than assist the BD process. I have found several off-the-shelf systems focused on helping the business development process become more effective in getting and growing new business!

One of these systems (WinAward) adds some unique capabilities to assess your business case and competitive situation - like nothing else I've found. It is one of the cheapest ways for small/mid-sized companies to focus their positioning efforts like the big guys. The word-of-mouth on this tool is absolutely terrific as key BD and operations managers move from "haves" to "have-nots." The tool is often seen as the strategic advantage companies can bring to their infrastructure processes.

Contact John Bender at 703-855-3163 or jbender@acibiz.com for details on what is available and what might work best for you and your company.

The "Light Bulb" Just Went On
Mike Berger, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

At a recent Business Development Workshop, one of the attendees, who had joined the present company after being laid off at another, asked about "finding" new business. I asked about the person's previous employment and was told that the agency continues to call, ask for advice, and say they wish the individual was still with the former company so they could continue their relationship.

I asked, "are you giving them advice. . .for free?" The reply was "yes, I don't work for the [former company]." When I suggested the exact same relationship could and definitely should be developed between that agency element and the person's current employer I got one of those "the light bulb just went on" kind of responses.

To make a short story shorter, the next day the employee did it - made the call - and, while a bit awkward made a good follow up and put in a subtle plug for doing some work for them through the new company. It was a bit scary, but it looks like there's potential there.

You must remember that when you support a Federal agency your customers view you as a solutions provider focused on their problems or service. They don't see you as focused on money or marketing. If you've done a good job they'll likely want you to continue to do so, no matter who you are working for. We say two of the most important words in the BD business are "follow-up." The staff person I described above did just that with a very positive result.

Need a focus for your BD program? Give me a call. Mike Berger, mberger@acibiz.com, 703-642-5153, cell 703-861-0726.

A Few Ailments Common to Proposals
By, J.P. Richard, Vice President, Advantage Consulting, Inc.

Here are a few common proposal based ailments. Compliments of Chuck Keller APMP Fall/Winter 2009 Issue.

The cure for all of them is to attend a Proposal Management/Writing set of classes at Advantage Consulting, Inc currently scheduled for February 3-4, 2010.

Parrot-it is - An ailment marked by repeating RFP requirements in the proposal with the basic statement you will meet the requirements (the what) without explaining the: who, when, where, why and how of your solution - not to be confused with the illness of a Jimmy Buffett fan.

Org Chart-it is - An ailment marked by the wrong assumption that a management approach is clearly explained by an organization chart.

Over the Wall-it is - An ailment of marketing/ BD managers passing an RFP to the proposal team with an order to have the proposal ready by a certain date but with no plan on their part to contribute anything to the proposal.

Ostrich-it is - An ailment marked by ignoring the weaknesses of your proposal's technical or management approach or the cited past performance contracts in the hope that the prospective customer will not know about these weaknesses.

Out the door-it is - An ailment marked by the harried and mistake-prone work at the end of a proposal process because writing, reviewing, and editing of the proposal are allowed to infringe on the time scheduled for printing, binding, book-checking and packaging the proposal for delivery.

Incumbent-it is - An ailment marked by incumbents letting their over-confidence in a re-compete procurement lead them to put less effort in their proposal than they should.