Project Requirements Jazz
Requirements Candidates may emerge anytime during a project. Feedback from execution may produce new requirement candidates. Early in the phase of planning a project we start documenting. The Fourth Edition PMBoK guide process is labeled as 5.1 Collect Requirements. This was actually a new process group in the Fourth Edition. In practice, I thought this was an improvement. As a concept it still needs refinement.
The problem is “Requirement” is that which is required. In the beginning, before scope planning requirements are “Candidates”. The process of creating Scope Validates the Candidates. After Product Scope is baselined, those Validated Candidates are ”Requirements”. Semantics matters and being precise is important.
If we approach our stakeholders and we explain to them we are collecting requirements. What is the expectation of the stakeholders? If we ask them directly “What are your requirements?”. How about if that stakeholder’s requirement is not included in the Scope of the Project? Or other situations If someone asks me to list everything that is required, it does not have enough granularity. What we really should be doing at this point is setting the expectations of the stakeholders and creating the environment for a breakthrough to emerge. The metaphor is collecting requirements is an exploration like Great Jazz Music.
To manage stakeholder expectations we should initially frame the scene as “Exploration.” Jazz is a form of music that is typical of leaderless exploration. One of the key basics of jazz is improvisation. Like skilled project managers Jazz Performers may interpret a “tune in very different ways, never playing the same song the same way twice.” Jazz, however, is often characterized as the product of democratic creativity. Once the Scope is baselined, the Project Manager should exert more control by integrating requirements candidates with change control. This is more typical of continuous improvement. But in the beginning the project manager should foster creativity by creating multi-disciplinary relaxed environments for requirements to emerge. Human Interactions before detailed data.
Contemporary Japanese Project Management @Ohara 2006 describes the “value creation paradigm.” Japanese system thinking answers the questions “What is the value gained by managing projects?” they believe human interaction is dominant. The Japanese answer is the breakthrough to Kaikaku Project Management. KPM is defined as the synergistic; Kakusin (innovation), Kaihatsu (development) and Kaizen (improvement). The owner/entrepreneur initiates innovation to create future business value. @Ohara 2006 Kakusin (innovation) means the radical type of comprehensive breakthrough by uniting all layers of a new combination of knowledge and wisdom.
Returning to the Jazz theme; the players need to find the base rhythm of what the product of the project will be. The song may start out as a standard. The sax player, the piano player, the guitar player, the drummer. They all need to understand the musical feeling. But to be “Jazz music” players need to take some chance with new music, never heard before. This exploration is supported democratically and creatively. The breakthrough is when the all the players expands into a new musical direction. This is breakthrough creativity.
The team orchestrated by the entrepreneur who is taking risk by investing money and time, set the scene. The Project Manager assembles the multi-disciplinary players. The Project manager guides the exploration to innovation and maximizing business value. The core product development team begins by offering their requirements candidates or their musical notes. These requirements candidates may be messy, incomplete and ill formed. The Project Manager needs to curate these candidates, but also create conditions for creative exploration.
This is related to Systems Thinking @Senge 1990. “understanding how our actions shape our reality”, “we can shape our future”. Systems thinking helps us see how our own actions have shaped our current reality, thereby giving us confidence that we can create a different reality in the future.
It may sound obvious to many, but on global projects good access to the key stakeholders may be difficult. This creates uncertainty. Deeply understanding what is the business value and risk tolerance of the key stakeholders is critical. This is the critical element of human interaction. People perform projects. By creating good environments humans can modify their requirements candidates and democratically create and modify new requirements. This is Stakeholder Management. This is Joint Value Creation.
Asking someone “What do you require?” or Brainstorming as an exploratative team “When it is done, what is really going to make you happy?” or “We all know time and money are driving this project, but if you could have anything you wanted what would you have?”. The Project Manager can create some easy wins, by identifying the requirement candidates that truly matter. How can a Project Manager do this in a global setting?
Recognize Teams National Cultures
Accept different Mindsets
Respect and Tolerate diversity
Adapt Leader ship style for team culture
Trust the team
Manage Conflicts
Coach people
Form Cohesive local teams
Form Cohesive virtual teams
Recognize information needs and gaps
Collaborate on a Team Charter or Rule Book
Master Communication and Information Distribution Methods
Facilitate effective Brainstorming
Acquire Knowledge from all stakeholders
Share Wisdom, Insights and Perspective
Act Proactively to Remove Barriers
