PMI ® Global Congress 2011—North America From Ostrich to Canary: Declaring Trouble Before It’s Too Late Brian H. Munroe, PMP Senior Trainer & Consultant Corporate Education Group

Quotes to Ponder “It isn’t that they can’t see the solution; it’s that they can’t see the problem.” – G.K. Chesterton ( ) Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Suppression Factors  Hide true project status  Prevent timely identification of a situation needing corrective action  Deprive management of critical information  Decisions are not made with accurate input Conditions that cause project team members to either knowingly or unknowingly ignore signs that a project is troubled and avoid bringing the issues to the attention of management, stakeholders and other key decision makers. Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Quotes to Ponder “Bad news isn’t wine. It doesn’t improve with age.” – General Colin Powell (b. 1937) Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Suppression Factor Categories Denial Cognitive dissonance Group mentality Belief System Apathy Lack of responsibility Lack of accountability Commitment Unwillingness to admit mistakes Reluctance to ask for help Personality Based Blame or judgment Job security Personal safety Past experiences Fear Incentives Promotions Performance ratings Performance Based Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Questions For You… What suppression factors do you think are most influential at your organization? Are there different suppression factors at play on your projects? Take a moment and consider what suppression factors you personally are susceptible to. Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

What Can Be Done? Create a culture that encourages team members to raise issues and concerns as soon as they become evident. Know yourself; know your team. Don’t just solve problems; actively find them. Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Belief Systems  Foundation of everything we do  Beliefs will govern reaction to signs of trouble  Greatest impact of belief systems on troubled projects is denial  Cognitive dissonance  Group mentality A belief system is the knowledge and experiences that directly influence our perceptions, motivations, actions, and reactions. Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Fear  Range of fear responses – mild anxiety to terror  Many sources of fear:  Blame, judgment  Job security  Personal safety (physical or emotional)  Past personal experiences  Fear of negative repercussions motivates people to hide problems Fear: A distressing emotion arising from impending danger, evil, pain or other negative state, whether the threat is real or imagined. Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Quotes to Ponder “In NASA, we never punish error. We only punish concealment of error.” – Al Siepert (b. 1915) Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Summary  Problems won’t go away by themselves; they need to be identified and actively resolved  Be aware of suppression factors in team members as well as yourself  Proactively work to remove those factors:  Create an environment that encourages and expects early admission of problems  Establish a committed team  Make people feel safe and trusting Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011

Thank You! Brian H. Munroe, PMP (US only) or