The Rise of the Machines? – Not on my watch!

I know I have stolen the title from The Terminator series, but on reflection it seemed appropriate.

In this context, the “machines” are those who hold dogmatically to a particular change methodology, adopting a “one size fits all” approach and batter those trying to deliver change into some amorphous, anonymous, unempowered mass. They do exist and often are people who when you examine their credentials may claim to have been change deliverers in the past, but rarely have any deep track record of delivery, let alone success.

I have written before about the rule of three which more generally means spotting emerging patterns, or at least one that are becoming visible. So, in the last few days I have spoken with a new contact who has long experience in the human side of change, spotted a group on Linkedin called “People deliver projects” and also been pondering how to expound better expound some of my values. These have led me to this post.

It may seem ironic that as someone who has developed and implemented three change methodologies in different places and built and transformed more than three PMO’s that I seem rage against the machine, but I have long championed the intelligent application of any tool I have designed or implemented. The mechanistic approach could be appropriate if one was dealing with multiple instances of the same change/project, but then, to my mind, that really becomes “business as usual”!

In the environments I have worked we have rarely had any number of similar projects running close to together, but instead a mixed bag to be delivered against a constantly changing backdrop.

The best articulation to date of where my head is goes as follows; business(even life) is the net result of a combination of people, processes and systems. Success is a usually derived from the product of these three elements. In my head they are distinguished thus:-

• systems really deliver efficiency (cost, speed, etc);
• processes deliver consistency or repeatability (if that is a word?); but it is
• people who deliver agility and quality.

As this world is increasingly inter-connected, complex and demanding it is, in my opinion, the last element that offers the greatest contribution to real, lasting and valued change. Despite this I frequently encounter those people with a singular focus is on either process or systems, often in the name of control or improved delivery. This rarely seems to offer long term benefits, other as a work creation scheme for those who write and mainatin manuals and generate more and more reports with excessive and spurious detail.

People are looked at as resources, like a meeting room or computer, that can be booked, used and then, metaphorically at least, discarded. They are often “pooled”, but to all intents and purposes untended and unnurtured; almost as dispensible as a writing pad.

Is this the way to treat such important contributors and is it any surprise that so many projects are deemed not to deliver?

I am not an anarchist, despite what the previous words may suggest. I fully respect the contributions of processes and systems in the delivery of change, but they have their place and the must be used intelligently and not to overwhelm the people charged with delivery.

I have often described what I do as human chess,

I get the right people,

in the right place,

properly equipped,

to do the right thing,

at the right time,

in the right way.

Process and systems can and do help me, but, if it comes to a clash, I cannot and will not let them get in the way of delivering what my customer wants and needs – not on my watch!