| NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESSES BROUGHT | | | | needs different slices - for example, by release and |
| BY ENTERPRISE 2.0 | | | | by feature. This inconvenience makes the software |
| The social network phenomenon has already | | | | less usable and thus people become hesitant to |
| transformed the consumer Web into so-called "Web | | | | check plans and update them regularly. On one hand, |
| 2.0." Now Web 2.0 is affecting business processes in | | | | these factors lead to obsolete and useless project |
| thousands of organizations by offering incredible | | | | plans. On the other hand, the necessity to select one |
| communication and collaboration opportunities known | | | | work breakdown structure greatly increases the cost |
| as "Enterprise 2.0." "All these things that are thought | | | | of mistake for the project manager. |
| to be consumer services are coming into the | | | | The whole process becomes very tricky and requires |
| enterprise," says former Oracle Corp. President Ray | | | | a lot of up-front thinking, predictions, and |
| Lane, now a general partner at the venture capital | | | | responsibility for the project manager. |
| firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Major | | | | Project management 2.0 tools have fewer |
| corporations all over the world, such as IBM, Procter | | | | restrictions. They let structures emerge, without |
| & Gamble, and Walt Disney, have embraced | | | | strong central control. These structures are born |
| Enterprise 2.0 technologies. We are witnessing the | | | | from lots of little interactions that are designed to |
| transformation of traditional ways of doing business, | | | | solve specific problems. For example, collaboration |
| and this transformation is caused by the | | | | planning tools, like Wrike allow work-breakdown |
| new-generation applications. | | | | structures to emerge from the bottom up. What |
| The term Enterprise 2.0 was coined by Andrew | | | | employees design as the best work-breakdown |
| McAfee, an associate professor at Harvard Business | | | | structure for their tasks becomes a part of a bigger |
| School, in spring 2006. Professor McAfee introduced | | | | picture seen by the manager. |
| this term to describe the use of emergent social | | | | In these tools hierarchies are many-to-many, in |
| software platforms within companies, or between | | | | contrast to the one-to-many hierarchy in Microsoft |
| companies and their peers (partners or customers). | | | | Project. This effectively means that you can pick any |
| Through the adoption of wikis, blogs, collaboration | | | | reasonable sub-set of tasks, create a view and share |
| planning tools, social networks, and other "weapons | | | | it with someone who needs this view. It is not like |
| of mass collaboration," as Don Trapscott calls them in | | | | all-or-nothing sharing of a file. At the end of the day |
| his book Wikinomics, collaboration patterns are | | | | more people can collaborate. As the new tools allow |
| changing in today's organizations. Enterprise 2.0 | | | | team members to make changes to the initial |
| software and business practices provide managers | | | | structure simultaneously, more people can organize |
| with access to the right information at the right time | | | | and reorganize their views, and more structures |
| through a system of interconnected applications and | | | | emerge. The resulting structures fit project |
| services. Examples of thousands of small companies | | | | participants much better than one stiff |
| as well as giants like Microsoft, Toyota, and many | | | | work-breakdown structure. |
| others show that Web-based Enterprise 2.0 | | | | This agility helps to bring iterative and incremental |
| applications let businesses obtain a huge competitive | | | | practices into project management without giving |
| advantage in the form of enforced innovation, | | | | away the control.The project manager's job becomes |
| productivity, and agility through access to the | | | | more about coordination and guidance than routine |
| collective intelligence of many professionals. | | | | manual updates, and the whole team can react to |
| Efficient gathering and sharing of information, | | | | changes much faster. |
| facilitated social connections within enterprises, and | | | | Project management 2.0 tools allow you to start with |
| improved customer interactions are not the only | | | | one task, add twenty more, organize them, add |
| benefits that Enterprise 2.0 software delivers to small | | | | more tasks, reorganize them, and repeat the process |
| companies and huge corporations. Let's see how | | | | on a daily basis by many or your employees and |
| these tools can help to manage projects. | | | | managers. When seven employees share their daily |
| THE NEW APPROACH TO MANAGING PROJECTS | | | | to-do lists with a team leader, the team leader gets a |
| The Enterprise 2.0 movement is naturally affecting | | | | bigger picture. When five team leaders share their |
| and captivating project management in organizations. | | | | teams' plans with project managers, a picture gets |
| Blogs, wikis, and other second-generation tools offer | | | | bigger. When it goes through directors and the vice |
| better opportunities for communication and | | | | president to the CEO, the whole structure evolves |
| collaboration. Thus they provide a great potential for | | | | from what was one task into a big ecosystem that |
| improving existing project management practices. | | | | perfectly suits the organization. All with a help of |
| Traditionally, a project manager is the major link in all | | | | very simple tools and very powerful principles that |
| project-related communications. This directly | | | | stay behind those tools - collective intelligence and |
| influences the efficiency of the team, as well as the | | | | emergent structures. |
| manager's own productivity. Nowadays, many | | | | Empowered by emergent structures and collective |
| companies still utilize Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or | | | | intelligence, project managers can combine field |
| traditional project management applications, like | | | | knowledge coming bottom-up with the guidance |
| Microsoft Project, for tracking their projects. E-mailing | | | | coming top-down. There is also a significant benefit |
| text documents and spreadsheets is still very | | | | for executives: emergent structures emergent allow |
| popular, despite its many shortcomings. | | | | you to get complete visibility that bridges the gap |
| E-mail is a closed communication medium, and many | | | | between strategic corporate plans and daily to-do |
| companies confirm that it does a poor job of | | | | lists of employees. Getting the Bigger Picture |
| capturing and sharing knowledge. For example, if you | | | | Full insight into what is going on in the organization is |
| e-mail a document to two people, you then have | | | | vital for aligning internal business resources with the |
| three copies of this document to manage, merge, | | | | requirements of the changing environment. For |
| and differentiate. It is hard to work on this document | | | | example, if we speak of software development, the |
| simultaneously. This is not the only problem. | | | | bug fixing schedule may affect the next release |
| Knowledge is buried in e-mails, as it is available only to | | | | schedule. The next release schedule in its turn may |
| the sender and the recipients, so all the other team | | | | affect the marketing campaign, which may affect |
| members cannot benefit from it. For example, if an | | | | sales plans. Sales plans will naturally have an impact on |
| employee e-mails a status update to his manager, | | | | financial plans. Having the whole picture helps |
| the change will only be visible to other people after | | | | corporate executives to make a better choice for |
| the manager manually updates the schedule. This | | | | allocating internal resources when there is a need to |
| produces unnecessary work and delays the exchange | | | | react properly to the changes in the business |
| of information. There is little visibility and control over | | | | environment. Project management 2.0 tools |
| the project if all information is buried in thousands of | | | | empowered by emergent structures and |
| e-mails residing in employees' mailboxes. The list of | | | | many-to-many hierarchies are naturally able to |
| disadvantages could go on. | | | | provide this big picture view. Emergent structures |
| Traditional project management tools are not | | | | help to turn separated strategic plans, quarterly plans, |
| focused on collaboration, either. They were mostly | | | | project plans and daily to-do lists of team members |
| designed with the top-down approach in mind and are | | | | into one business development master plan. |
| not meant for open collaboration. These tools are | | | | Many-to-many hierarchies let corporate executives |
| focused on a project manager and make him the | | | | see each project and their whole organization from |
| core element of the project communications. He first | | | | different points of view. These two powerful |
| has to pull facts out of employees through meetings | | | | principles allow managers to drill down to each team |
| and e-mails, then put them into a file and | | | | member's tasks and follow the work of the whole |
| communicate the project plan to upper management | | | | enterprise at the same time. |
| and clients. The process is then repeated every time | | | | When project managers can easily view every detail |
| something changes. The project manager also needs | | | | of their project development, and corporate |
| to play the role of an alarm clock, reminding | | | | executives are able to use their business resources |
| employees of their deadlines and overdue tasks. The | | | | most rationally, projects bring value faster. |
| whole process turns out to be time-consuming and | | | | Productivity Boost |
| effortful, and it results in a heavy burden for a | | | | With new tools, project managers save hours on |
| project manager. The amount of routine work | | | | routine operations related to aggregating the |
| sometimes does not leave the manager time for | | | | information from e-mails and meetings and keeping it |
| leadership. | | | | up to date. Reporting is simplified on all levels, as part |
| Enterprise 2.0 technologies catalyze innovations in | | | | of it can be easily achieved by sharing the related |
| project management. These innovations can be called | | | | part of the collaborative workspace. |
| Project Management 2.0. The term highlights a new | | | | Second-generation project management software |
| approach to project management, characterized by a | | | | gives every team member an opportunity to be |
| dramatic shift toward having collaboration as the | | | | aware of the changes in the project without |
| heart of managing projects. The new-generation | | | | unnecessary meetings, e-mails, and phone calls. The |
| tools take care of the routine part of a project | | | | collaboration becomes much faster and much more |
| manager's work: reminding team members about | | | | productive. It results in faster project delivery and |
| deadlines, merging status updates into a single plan, | | | | faster return on investment. |
| and communicating changes. New tools also let people | | | | To start innovation and improvements in your |
| collaborate and share information easily. The role of | | | | organization is easy. As was already mentioned |
| the project manager is changing; he is becoming a | | | | above, new tools are very user-friendly and easy to |
| project visionary, instead of a taskmaster. | | | | adopt. You just have to pick the right ones. |
| New-generation tools give him more space for being | | | | PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2.0 TOOLS: A NEW |
| a project leader. | | | | COLLABORATIVE SPACE |
| What makes the new technologies so effective? I | | | | Perhaps the most popular of the new-generation |
| will list the five key benefits below. | | | | applications that companies can benefit from are |
| Making It Simple to Collaborate | | | | blogs, wikis, and collaboration planning tools. |
| One of the major constraints associated with | | | | Blogs |
| traditional project management software was its | | | | Both internal and external use of blogs can be |
| complexity. Traditional tools have hundreds of | | | | advantageous for a project. The major benefit of |
| features, which take months to master. Adoption of | | | | internal blogging is that it gives the opportunity to |
| traditional project management software is often | | | | facilitate direct communication between various layers |
| connected with spending a lot of the employees' | | | | of an organization. Blogs allow team members who |
| time and the company's money on training. In | | | | otherwise would not have been aware of or invited |
| contrast, the second-generation project management | | | | to participate in a discussion to contribute their |
| tools are lightweight and easy to use. They provide | | | | expertise. Thousands of companies now use blogging |
| an opportunity to start collaborating immediately, | | | | tools like Blogger, LiveJournal, Typepad, Movable |
| without any delays for extensive learning and initial | | | | Type, WordPress or Radio UserLand. For example, |
| set-up. | | | | British Library and University College London |
| New project management tools can be easily utilized | | | | collaborate on a project called the LIFE (Lifecycle |
| even by unskilled computer users, making it possible | | | | Information for E-Literature) through a blog. A blog is |
| to involve more people in project collaboration. A | | | | a way for these two organizations to work together |
| well-known example is blogging. It is very simple to | | | | more efficiently and keep all the project information |
| share ideas in a blog and get feedback in comments. | | | | in one place. |
| Simplicity drives adoption. When people like the | | | | External blogging helps to encourage the strongest |
| software, they use it more often. | | | | community goodwill, and this goodwill, in turn, |
| New software tools provide a much better user | | | | promotes significant marketing and sales gains. |
| experience, which helps to solve one of the biggest | | | | Thousands of companies are already reaping the |
| challenges of traditional software packages. One of | | | | rewards of their investment in external project |
| the major problems with traditional tools was the | | | | blogging. For, example, companies like Microsoft, IBM, |
| users' unwillingness to update data regularly. Plans | | | | Google, Sun Microsystems, and SAP write project |
| often got outdated and became useless because of | | | | blogs on a regular basis. The number of |
| that. New tools are much more convenient to use. | | | | non-technology organizations that have their own |
| For example, they let you create tasks in the | | | | project blogs is rapidly growing, too. One of the most |
| system by sending e-mails from their Blackberry | | | | prominent examples is the From Edison's Desk blog - |
| devices. This level of simplicity and convenience | | | | a blog for the GE Global Research project. It offers |
| engages users and thus helps to keep information | | | | an opportunity for technology enthusiasts around the |
| up-to-date. This is a critical component for successful | | | | globe to discuss the future of technology with top |
| project management software implementation. The | | | | researchers from one of the world's largest and |
| power of new tools comes to the surface when | | | | most diverse industrial research labs. |
| they turn simple actions of individual users into a | | | | Wikis |
| great product of collective work. In Enterprise 2.0 | | | | A wiki is another technology that can be successfully |
| terms, it is called collective intelligence and emergent | | | | applied to managing projects. Its basic advantage is |
| structures. | | | | that it lets users to create, edit, and link Web pages |
| Collective intelligence is the capacity of human | | | | easily. Wikis usually have very few restrictions, thus |
| communities to evolve to higher order complexity | | | | they tend to accumulate a shared knowledge that |
| and harmony, through differentiation, integration, | | | | was traditionally kept out of stiff corporate |
| competition and collaboration. In other words, it is a | | | | enterprise software and intranets - the knowledge |
| form of intelligence that emerges from the | | | | that was usually buried in e-mails. A good example of |
| collaboration and competition of many individuals. This | | | | wiki usage would be Dresdner Kleinwort, the |
| notion is closely connected with the term "emergent | | | | investment banking division of Dresdner Bank AG |
| structures." | | | | that gained an e-mail traffic volume reduction by |
| Emergence is a way complex systems and patterns | | | | 75%. They also slashed meeting time in half. Another |
| arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple | | | | example is a Linux-based operating system called |
| interactions. In plain terms it is a form of collective | | | | Fedora, which uses a project wiki to bring the end |
| behaviour, when parts of a system do together that | | | | user's point of view into the product development. |
| they would not do by themselves. Therefore, | | | | There are a lot of wiki solutions that are be |
| emergent structures are the structures that appear | | | | successfully used by many companies. The most |
| as a result of multiple, relatively simple interactions of | | | | well-known is an open source wiki called MediaWiki, |
| a number of individuals. The interactions are | | | | the one that is used by Wikipedia. |
| uncontrolled, but are purposeful. | | | | Wikis and blogs are good generic tools that can help |
| Together these two powerful principles make project | | | | to share knowledge much more effectively than |
| management 2.0 tools powerful instruments for | | | | e-mails. To gain visibility and control over operations, |
| improving teams' productivity. | | | | companies also need to empower their managers and |
| Taking Advantage of the Wisdom of the Whole | | | | employees with a collaborative planning solution. |
| Team | | | | Collaboration Planning Tools |
| The new-generation, Web-based tools give team | | | | New collaboration applications and platforms combine |
| members an easy way to contribute to the common | | | | the level of control associated with traditional project |
| repository of tasks and plans. These tools unleash | | | | management software with the benefits of Web 2.0 |
| the power of collective intelligence and change the | | | | applications to give a productivity boost to companies |
| pattern of project management. | | | | and bring better visibility. The best tools in this field |
| In his book The Wisdom of Crowds, James | | | | are integrated with e-mail and easy and inexpensive |
| Surowiecki states that "groups are remarkably | | | | to adopt. They democratize project management |
| intelligent and are often smarter than the smartest | | | | software. Can you provide some examples |
| people in them. Groups do not need to be dominated | | | | Collaboration planning tools bridge the gaps between |
| by exceptionally intelligent people in order to be | | | | employees' to-do lists, project plans, and strategic |
| smart." He also stresses that "decentralization's | | | | goals. With the help of these tools, a project |
| greatest strength is that it encourages independence | | | | manager gains complete visibility of all the projects he |
| and specialization on the one hand while still allowing | | | | is responsible for. The upper management knows |
| people to coordinate their activities and solve difficult | | | | what is going on inside of every project and has the |
| problems." | | | | whole picture. The software takes a lot of routine |
| With the new technologies, people get a more | | | | operations on its shoulders - turning e-mail mess into |
| efficient working environment where they can gather | | | | a nice-looking timeline, reminding people about |
| and share knowledge from different fields that each | | | | overdue tasks and building reports. These tools help |
| project team member is an expert in. The project | | | | to collect information and make it accessible to any |
| manager guides the team's work and chooses the | | | | team member anywhere. This expedites information |
| right direction, based on the information received | | | | sharing and accelerates decision making. |
| from the individual employees. The tools even help | | | | Governmental, educational, commercial, and non-profit |
| the manager to merge this information, turning an | | | | organizations all over the world are embracing project |
| e-mail mess into well-organized timelines. | | | | management 2.0 tools to improve their project |
| At the same time the new-generation tools let | | | | management. Corporations like McDonalds, Walt |
| project managers control changes and the progress | | | | Disney, Apple, Toyota and Capgemini utilize |
| of the project work. Reporting is highly automated | | | | second-generation project management applications |
| on all levels, including corporate executives, who get | | | | within their departments. |
| their view of the project automatically. | | | | CONCLUSION |
| The reports are pulled on the fly from real data, so | | | | The use of innovative project management |
| they are up-to-date. All these factors boost the | | | | technologies promises to have a profound and |
| team's productivity and help the company make the | | | | far-reaching effect on how projects are managed |
| right decisions at the right time. | | | | today. These technologies let companies acquire the |
| Collective intelligence goes hand-in-hand with | | | | key ingredient to success in any business - they help |
| emergent structures, another practice that has a | | | | companies make better decisions faster. Project |
| great impact on contemporary project management. | | | | management 2.0 gives a great productivity boost to |
| Many-to-Many Structure Benefits | | | | project managers and their teams. |
| Microsoft Project and many other traditional | | | | Today, the project management landscape is |
| management tools allow you to have only a strict, | | | | changing, opening new competitive advantages for |
| one-to-many work breakdown structure of tasks | | | | companies. While some companies are struggling with |
| (and other similar items). This creates several | | | | the pains of traditional project management tools and |
| negative consequences. First, there can be only one | | | | e-mail, others are becoming more efficient and |
| view of the project, while in real life there might be a | | | | innovative by leveraging the benefits of the new |
| need to have many different views of the same | | | | technologies. I hope this article will help you adopt |
| project. Project marketers, business analyst, | | | | some of the Project Management 2.0 tools and |
| engineers, and testers might want to slice the | | | | practices. |
| project in different ways. Often, the same person | | | | |