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Companies today face increasing pressure across all divisions, including project management, to run operations more efficiently, at a lower cost point and with greater speed. NDS, a leader in the delivery of digital pay-TV solutions, is no different. With the goal of continuing to improve the company’s ability to respond to change and innovation, NDS recently set out to enhance its PM processes.

NDS cover a wide span of security, enabling technologies, and interactive applications for TV platform operators, content owners and broadcast channels worldwide. The company focuses on ensuring the secure delivery of content, with advanced and interactive features, to TV set-top boxes, digital video recorders, PCs, mobile and multimedia devices to customers worldwide. ‘The industry we are in is fast moving and has demanding customers.’

As we approached this initiative it became clear there must be a mechanism that ensures senior management agrees with the strategic goals and objectives throughout the process. We created the Steering Group, made up of key stakeholders from across the world. The next step was to develop strategic objectives. For NDS, our objective was to enhance the company’s efficiency, profitability and customer satisfaction. To do this we identified three key quick win interventions; the development of a Project

Management Code of Practice (CoP), soft skills development using the Strengths Deployment Inventory and the PMP Accreditation of project and program managers.

The second objective was implementing a future capability roadmap to handle the projected substantial growth in the number and complexity of projects and larger programs, as well as the integration and management of other suppliers. Working with Team Animation (TA) we developed a roadmap to achieve this vision, and outlined the benefits from which we believed we could achieve.

Project Management Code of Practice –The CoPWe began with a formalised approach to the management and governance of our projects through the introduction of a Project Management Code of Practice (CoP). The CoP provides consistent standards and models what

Tuning into a Dynamic Marketplace

Steve Hastie NDS Donnie MacNicol Team Animation

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‘good’ looks like, empowering project managers to take ownership and lead their teams; inspiring all those involved in delivery. The CoP also provides a single point of reference for performance management, which is critical when looking to embed new behaviours.

A series of workshops were held with the Steering Group, to build out the CoP. The CoP effort was initially developed for the NDS’ Professional Services division, a team of more than 350 experienced professionals that work closely with pay-TV operators. Later this summer, the CoP was introduced globally. Figure 1 shows the cover of the CoP. An enterprise version is being developed which will be rolled out to other areas of the business during Q4 2011. The document is based on internal contextual experience and knowledge provided by NDS, married to project management expertise, provided by TA’s Trevor Band, and behavioural expertise from TA’s Donnie MacNicol.

Figure 1 Project Management Code of Practice (CoP)

For NDS, the CoP is being introduced internally, at the same time as project assurance work on customers’ critical projects and programs are being implemented. This provides an important feedback loop to the CoP development, as well as having the CoP provide immediate efficiencies to the teams in the field. For example, during the piloting of the CoP, planning was identified as an area for immediate development. Workshops were designed and are now piloted in the UK in August and California in September. NDS developed a group of Expert Planning Coaches. This group will host the planning workshops and focus on the development of their individual and collective knowledge and expertise through sharing and supporting as part of a Community of Practice.

This is designed to enhance the learning, development and motivation of the PM community. This is especially advantageous when the company spans multiple locations or countries. Experts are identified who will champion specialised PM areas of focus (e.g. planning and Soft Skills), ensuring distribution of best practice internally, and employees are able to work directly with experts from across the PM community. The end goal is to have PMs adopt, contextually adapt and implement successfully the best PM practices for the benefit of the end customer.

Soft skills development using the Strengths Deployment Inventory The economic pressures of today’s business climate often result in project managers working through remote, virtual teams, in different organisational cultures and across national boundaries. It is therefore critical that they have a common terminology and the capability to build strong and sustainable relationships allowing them to influence others effectively. By bringing together the teams for a condensed, two-day period, we were able to improve the team’s ability to work together. The workshop TA designed included topics covering communication and influencing, listening, managing conflict, mentoring and transitioning between roles. Each seminar was adapted to the needs of the particular group by capturing their unique challenges and personal objectives.

A common structure was introduced through all discussions and exercises. This was the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI), which has been used by TA over the last five years in over 100 developmental workshops. The underlying assumption is that all human beings need to interact with others in a way that makes them feel good about themselves. The SDI looks at employee motivations when things are going well and when faced with conflict and opposition.

The SDI distinguishes a person’s underlying motivation by introducing four main Motivational Value Systems (MVS), which describe how individuals seek to be valued by themselves and others, in all life situations (see Figure 2). The TA’s MVS defines this as:

l ofgenuinehelptoothers–BLUE

l focusedonachievingresultsand taskaccomplishment–RED

l self-reliantandorderly–GREEN

l partofaneffectivegroup–HUB

Figure 2 Motivational Value Systems (MVS). Personal Strengths.

The SDI distinguishes

a person’s underlying

motivation by introducing four

main Motivational Value Systems

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Employees that are aware of their own MVS and that are encouraged to identify other’s MVS allows them to choose the way in which they interact with a person. Using Figure 2 allows project teams or management groups to view each other’s MVS. This allows them to see their diversity, explore how this can be a source of strength, and highlights how these same differences could inadvertently lead to misunderstanding and conflict with others. A range of exercises were used to reinforce these points.

Throughout the seminar practical examples of how a person’s MVS affected the way in which projects are managed and how project management processes and tools are adopted, used and sustained were demonstrated. For example, there are an infinite number of variations in the way people perceive a risk, and assess its impact and probability, before identifying appropriate courses of action. It is therefore critical that the PM appreciates these differences and implements a process that engages the different team members and uses this diversity. For example, if risk is managed by a Green MVS, then the identification, recording, assessment and on-going management could potentially be done in a far more structured and thought-through manner than if another MVS had the responsibility.

Once the seminars are given and the data collected, the communication mechanism used within the team can be modified. In the case of NDS, the seminar was delivered to around 130 people globally. Interestingly, a large percentage of the project community was found to have, or be very close to, a HUB MVS. This knowledge shaped the approach taken for working together, including communication and decision making on projects (e.g. focus was on flexibility, consideration of options, group discussion, and need to build consensus).

The seminars were delivered in the UK, US, China, South Korea, Israel, France and India, on multiple occasions. Insights were gained into how different national cultures perceived colleagues in other countries. For example, if you asked a UK group for their perceptions of their colleagues in the following countries, these were the following broad perceptions:

IndiahadaBlueMVSaspeoplerarelychallengeddeadlines or requirements that had to be meteven although there were risks associated withdelivery;

IsraelhadaRedMVSastheywerebycomparisonmore comfortablewith raising issuesopenlyandchallengingindividualsdirectly; and

FrancehadaGreenMVSas theywished tohaveadditionalinformationonwhichtobasedecisionsandexpectedtimetoreflect.

The seminars were highly intense and experiential in nature with minimal formalised lecturing. Providing personalised and team SDI reports can provide the basis for discussion during the many exercises. Different instructional methods

can be employed, including completion and continuous reference to learning sheets, interactive group exercises and discussions, personal reflection, feedback and paired exercises / coaching. Company specific case studies and role plays can also be used to great effect.

Critically, to ensure that value was achieved from the investment in Soft Skills, a series of on-going interventions should be planned and supported through the Community of Practice, described earlier. Finally, the Soft Skills seminar can be used to gain Registered Educational Provider status from PMI, as the program was seen as best practice within our organisation.

Future capability roadmapIn addition to the steps taken above, there is a need for a longer-term programme of change. Senior management must show this is a priority. For NDS, the Steering Group has provided the direction and governance, supported by board level sponsors. Each new project is being led by a small team responsible for developing the initial concepts and plans.

At the heart of the programme is the Career Development Framework and associated Performance Management process. Its development and planned introduction during 2012 will provide a range of benefits, including ensuring consistency and visibility of how people are assessed and promoted, providing individuals with a clear career path, and direction and control over the progression of their career – key aspects to an engaged and motivated PM community.

A Project Complexity Model is being developed which will allow informed decisions to be made regarding the level and form of governance of projects and the allocation of project staff – the right project manager, at the right time, on the right project.

Other programs that companies could considered include: Customer Relationship Management, Resource Management (the balancing of demand, capacity and capability) and perhaps even the development of Project Management Office function.

Practising what we preachEach company has its own internal personality. Naturally, the programs we have described would need to be adapted to reflect that personality. It is a constant process, but one that we believe results in a stronger company, better armed to adapt to the changing marketplace we are all competing in. We look forward to sharing more at Project Challenge in September. We are working together with experienced and trusted partners to make our vision a reality ‘one day at a time.’ We recognise it is easy for people to talk about change but hard to make it happen. Together we are tackling all of this and look forward to the end result.

There are an infinite number of variations in the way people perceive a risk

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