Project Management & Performance Appraisal - Internalizing the Learning

Project Management & Performance Appraisal - Internalizing the Learning

Concept

I have been loaded with Project Management Works in my Initial Years of Employment. I lack the ability to manage people, even today, it exists. I lead people and make them to give their best. However this can happen only when the person is willing and is interested in the process.

I wanted to know the concept of performance appraisal (PA) and project management (PM). The Link between PM and PA is PM is the concept and PA is its measure. That is to say, what we measure is the concepts laid by PM and how we measure depends on PA Techniques.

I have read some 10 Books on PM and none was really value adding. Even the CIMA Learning Materials and Suggested Books for Reading and Reference did not quenched my thirst and I was not able to learn the concept.

As I am a die hard person on the aspect of learning, I through my networks, found an excellent material on PM. The details of the Book is as below:

Title: Project Management for Business & Technology

Author: John M. Nicholas, Loyala University, Chicago

Publisher: Prentice Hall of India Private Limited

Edition: 2nd Edition

Year: 2002

Price: Rs.375/-

The US Edition was costing about Rs.3,663/-

However, this Book was out of stock and I could not find it any where. I gave a special order for the Book through Landmark, Nungabakkam, Chennai-34 along with a recommendation from a Professor of Loyalla College, Chennai. I got the book on August 1, 2009.

This book was the most practical and process focused than any other material on the subject. The author narrates and brings the “Systems & Processes” before our eye and makes us to understand the concept.

The entire book revolves around three aspects of PM – Time, Cost and Utility. Thus the concept of PM is that if a set of tasks have to strictly adhere to Time, Cost and Utility requirements, then the managerial techniques of PM has to be adopted to it.

Measurement

The Most important management techniques is controlling. As a Finance Professional, I have to measure and analyse the performance and give a report to the Management. Now how to measure in a better way?

I came with a solution, (It's already found by many scholars, yet, I reinvented it and was able to deliver the Old Wine in New Bottle) called 3-E Measure.

The 3-E is Economy. Efficiency and Effectiveness. Economy talks about Cost related performance, Efficiency talks about Time Related Performance and Effectiveness talks about Utility.

With the help of a White Paper on Bench-marking by CIMA, I was able to device a mechanism to measure and report the 3-E

Internalizing

The Concept and Practice of PM and PA are applicable to our daily life. We want to enjoy at apt times, we want to spend less and earn more and we all want happiness. The 3 parameters – Time, Cost and Utility are perfectly required for our daily life.

However the Bench-marking and 3-E measures would not be applicable for our daily life. It is to be modified as 4-E Measures. I derived this concept of measure because I changed 4 Companies in 6 Years and now continuously thinking whether I have done the right thing by coming into practice. Hence, to objectively satisfy my subjective mind, I created this concept of 4-E.

Entertainment, Education, Earning and Ego are the 4 Measures for a Human to get full from his life.

Entertainment:

This is the measure for how often we enjoy doing the work.

a) Are we getting burdened or a sense of challenge and play, if more work comes to us – If a work which uses my talent base comes I enjoy. But if a work which moves me away from my comfort zone or talent base, I struggle.

b) What is the play quotient at work – I try to work without tension and with humor (focus is not reduced) I break up, play and chat and then do. Except Bosch, I did not have any where the ability to play at work

c) Do we have right social aspects at Work – At Bosch, I felt like I am at college days because of demography of the team, At Freudenberg I felt lonely and with the other two companies I felt like being on war front for power politics. Therefore I enjoyed working in Bosch than any other company

Educating:

This measures how we feel inside the growth of wisdom and skills. When entertainment talks about how we work today, this is to predict how we would work in future.

a) Are we learning

b) Can we experiment and explore

c) Can we share the knowledge

d) Are we appreciated for what we express as our insights

e) How effective is Consultation inside the organisation

These are the aspects for ensuring educational aspects of work

Earning:

How much we earn and would earn is a very important measure

Ego:

Generally people thing Ego as a bad word. But I feel Ego is the very purpose of our existence. I define Ego as the sum total of thought patterns and consciousness which separates us from the rest of the world and make us to feel as a unique person.

Unless, I am respected as for my uniqueness and personality, I have no meaning in my life. Hence, the question am I retreated as a person – not just as a work machine is very vital. Am I respected and treated as a part of the company is much more vital question. If you are ignored and treated low because you are just one among 100 people working in that cader, then you change the company at the earliest possible opportunity.

If these 4-Es are given, then we can have a better work place and can deliver our best.

Hope you had enjoyed me.

Yours

VN