Verify Performance Improvement

Quick reference

• 00:04 Hi, this is Ray Sheen again.
• 00:05 Here, we've been talking a lot about project objectives and
• 00:08 project performance.
• 00:09 But I do want to take a few minutes and
• 00:11 discuss the performance of project team members.
• 00:14 Our desire is to see all of our team members improve their
• 00:17 performance over the life of the project.
• 00:20 We're dealing with project execution and control in this course, and that means
• 00:24 that we're dealing to a great degree with the performance of individuals.
• 00:28 To put things in context, I want to discuss responsibility and accountability,
• 00:33 especially as they apply to project work.
• 00:35 Let me start by saying that in the ideal condition, responsibility and
• 00:39 accountability are aligned.
• 00:41 The person responsible for a portion of the project work is held accountable for
• 00:45 how well that work is done.
• 00:47 And someone who is being held accountable for a project deliverable being correct
• 00:51 has the responsibility to see that the work was done to make it so.
• 00:55 It may be of help to define our terms.
• 00:57 Responsibilities sets expectations for what will be done.
• 01:01 Responsibility for a task or activity can be assigned to an individual or
• 01:05 an individual can volunteer and assume that responsibility.
• 01:08 Either way, there's a commitment to get something done right in the future.
• 01:14 Accountability is after the fact, it's based on what has happened.
• 01:18 And it's designated to the individual or
• 01:20 agent who was the major actor leading to the project result.
• 01:24 And since accountability is looking at the past,
• 01:27 it cannot be transferred to others, nor can someone volunteer to take it up.
• 01:32 Accountability is fixed the moment the project event happened, or did not happen.
• 01:38 It is what is.
• 01:40 Responsibility though, can change hands.
• 01:43 So let's consider a few problems.
• 01:45 Responsibility without accountability leads to inefficient or
• 01:50 even irresponsible behavior.
• 01:52 Someone can do whatever they want and
• 01:55 not have to take ownership for what has happened.
• 01:58 But there's also a problem with accountability and no responsibility.
• 02:02 A person is blamed or credited for
• 02:04 a project event even though they were not in the position to control the event.
• 02:08 This will often lead to fear and frustration.
• 02:11 It doesn't matter what the person does, they will still need to answer for
• 02:16 the project impact from the event.
• 02:18 Assuming that you have aligned responsibility and accountability,
• 02:22 now it's time to evaluate performance.
• 02:24 I like to use this model for team member performance and evaluation.
• 02:28 One reason I like to use it is it closely follows
• 02:30 the Plan-Do-Check-Act Shewhart Cycle approach that we use with our
• 02:34 continuous improvement process.
• 02:36 The first step is to plan.
• 02:38 This includes the project planning of aligning a person's responsibilities with
• 02:42 the goals of the project.
• 02:44 It also includes any planned improvement activities that the individual is
• 02:48 undertaking.
• 02:49 Next is to monitor the individual and their performance.
• 02:53 As you observe the individual, feel free to give feedback.
• 02:56 Don't wait until the end of the performance appraisal period before
• 03:00 mentioning an issue.
• 03:01 Talking about the performance and providing feedback when you see it helps
• 03:05 the individual make immediate changes while still doing project work.
• 03:09 Review step is just that.
• 03:11 Review with other stakeholders to gather additional information on the individual's
• 03:16 performance.
• 03:16 This is normally where the formal appraisal process kicks in.
• 03:21 Of course, use whatever systems your organization uses for
• 03:25 performance appraisal, be they written, online or face to face.
• 03:29 Finally, we get to the rewards portion of the process.
• 03:32 The rewards may be monetary, it may be recognition.
• 03:36 It could be promotion, it could be almost anything.
• 03:39 But make sure it's appropriate for the nature of the performance.
• 03:41 Lavish awards for poor performance anger the team.
• 03:45 But no rewards for outstanding performance will discourage the team.
• 03:49 Since feedback is so important on our performance review,
• 03:53 let's take a moment discussing how we get and receive feedback.
• 03:57 Let's start with some basic principles about giving feedback.
• 04:00 First, be timely.
• 04:02 You want the feedback to come right after the action that you will be discussing.
• 04:06 And make sure you're focused on the individual.
• 04:08 Don't be reading text or carrying on a second conversation at the same time.
• 04:13 I recommend you include both positive and negative comments when giving feedback.
• 04:17 And be specific, you don't want the person to be confused about what they did right
• 04:21 or what they need to improve.
• 04:23 So that means that you should have a suggestion for
• 04:25 what they should be doing next.
• 04:27 All this means that you need to be prepared.
• 04:30 Don't do formal feedback in an impromptu matter.
• 04:33 They can convey that it's just not important enough to plan.
• 04:36 Now, I don't mean that you can't compliment or
• 04:39 reprove someone when being caught in an act of doing something right or wrong.
• 04:43 But formal feedback should be regularly planned and prepared for.
• 04:47 Also, if you make suggestions for improvement and they agree to it,
• 04:51 it's okay to follow up with them and ask how it's going.
• 04:55 And just as you should be providing feedback for your team members on
• 04:58 a regular basis, you'll likely be getting feedback yourself.
• 05:02 And here are a few principles to follow.
• 05:04 First, check your ego at the door.
• 05:07 Don't let positive feedback puff you up, and
• 05:09 don't take negative feedback as a personal attack.
• 05:12 Keep an open mind and listen to what is being said.
• 05:15 A good rule of thumb is to put all the feedback in the team and
• 05:18 organizational context.
• 05:20 It's not about you, it's about the team performance.
• 05:23 Chances are, that is the context the observations are made in to begin with.
• 05:28 So the impact on the team and organization is what is the uppermost in the mind of
• 05:32 the person giving you the feedback.
• 05:34 If you find yourself becoming defensive, don't argue.
• 05:38 Take a few breaths, calm yourself,
• 05:40 wait a few minutes to digest the information before you react.
• 05:44 In an earlier course, we discussed emotional intelligence.
• 05:47 This is the time to use it on yourself.
• 05:50 Once you're calm, thank them for the feedback and
• 05:52 then decide what actions that you'll take in response to it.
• 05:55 Determine how you'll proceed on your personal continuous improvement journey.
• 06:00 A system and process for
• 06:02 verifying personal performance, both yours and your team members,
• 06:06 will accelerate continuous improvement at all levels of your organization.

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