Diversity in the workplace is an important topic today. At Leadership Techniques we have received many requests to discuss this. Managers want to know how to use diversity to their advantage. The reason for this interest is obvious…in our country at this time, diversity is a fact. It exists in many forms and combinations including cultural, ethnic, religion, race, background, and of course those biggies that everyone is talking about…age (meaning of course that we need to learn how to “manage” those darn millennials)…and that last big one….sexnicity.
I know…it’s not a word…yet. But we can’t really say sexual preference, can we? Well, that depends who you ask.
And of course, it’s very dangerous to discuss politics. These days if you express a political opinion that others disagree with, they may label you an idiot and your ingenious ideas won’t be accepted.
Therein lies the problem. When are we allowed to talk about our differences?
The best way to derive strength from the diversity that exists in your environment is to first understand it. You need to empathize with each individual and understand what turns them on and, more importantly, what turns them off!
Of course, we have to all be very careful about what we discuss because we don’t want to be accused of discrimination. So we all start to think that if we just ignore the differences between people we can’t possibly be accused of being prejudiced or making decisions based on a person’s beliefs or appearance.
But here in this blog we are allowed to discuss our differences. So let’s go! How can we all learn to be more tolerant of opinions and ideas so that we can not only “just get along” but actually build off each others differences and grow as individuals and teams!
You bring up a very interesting point. I was raised in a town that had very little diversity. We were never exposed to other races and cultures, so didn’t really know to question it. However, I knew enough to know that if I went to college in my area, I would basically have an extension of my high school experience. So I chose to attend a college out of the area, and was hit with diversity head on. My first roommate in college was of a different ethnicity. And while we had different upbringings and experiences, it was great to be in a situation where we had the opportunity to learn so much about one another.
Currently, young people growing up are faced with so many different experiences, and certainly with the current technology, they are exposed to much more than we saw on television “back in the day”. But how do they become more accepting of diversity when they were raised in a household that shunned being “different”? How do they go beyond what they were taught at home, or through their religious experience, and become more open-minded and accepting of different beliefs?
I agree with you that it begins with discussion and maybe it’s up to us “grown-ups” to show by example that we can have differences of opinion in an intelligent and polite way, without getting into a heated argument just because we have different beliefs or opinions.
We hear it all the time and what troubles us at Leadership Techniques LLC (LTllc) is that people say it and laugh! Is it funny? Is it true? Is the job of the project manager to make sure that the client gets all three? If so, how do we do that? The answer…it’s magic!
Actually there is a secret. The secret is that we’re not going to deliver all three. In fact, we may not deliver ANY of the three!
Let’s begin with GOOD. Subjectively, good means high quality. Deming states that “quality is meeting or exceeding customer expectations.” If you don’t know who Deming is, then you need to look him up and study his philosophy. You absolutely need to do that to be an effective manager. Suffice to say that if Deming says quality means meeting expectations, we’re satisfied that it is what quality means.
Second…FAST. What does fast mean in the world of project management? The answer is simple. Fast means “ahead of schedule”. Slow means “behind schedule”. Is it our job to be ahead of schedule?
Third…CHEAP, which simply means below budget. Expensive…you guessed it…over budget! Or, more importantly, expensive means that the client paid more than their perceived value of what they received. In other words, expectations were not met.
So, for the project manager, the answer is simple. Good, fast, and cheap really means: meeting specification ahead of schedule and under budget. The fundamental job of the project manager is to set expectations correctly and then properly manage the balance of these three quantities which are lovingly and affectionately referred to as the triple constraint.
The triple constraint has recently been expanded to include six parameters: Time, Quality, Cost, Scope, Resources, and Risk. This new hexatuplet (is that a word?) has some very interesting implications and certainly we need to be acutely aware of each and know how to manage each one quantitatively and objectively. Our job really is to provide information in a spherical manner (up, down, and all around) so that the project can move forward and management can make effective decisions in a timely manner.
There’s always more to learn in the fast-paced and ever changing world of project management. What do you think? Is the hexatuplet the new key? Is the triple constraint an overused term from a bygone era? Is Deming our hero?
While the triple constraint might be oft-used, I don’t believe it should be written off as a term from a bygone era. Meeting the triple constraint, even in an ever-changing and needy market, will still garner your business happy clients. And meeting those three criteria for projects is still something that many companies fail to accomplish. Until you can be successful at setting the proper expectations and completing projects that meet/exceed specifications ahead of schedule and below budget, I think it’d be hard to focus on the expanded “hexatuplet.” (Which I think would technically be “sextuplet” …although your invented word perhaps sounds more business appropriate haha?)
I would love to see a blog on the added “constraints” and what they translate to in layman’s terms. Interesting read!
The term “triple constraint” has become a well-known term among project managers to refer to time, cost and scope. These three need to be in balance in order to maintain the quality of the project. If any of the three is at risk, it will affect at least one other factor, perhaps both.
However, the latest version of the PMBOK® (fourth edition) does not even refer to the triple constraint. Rather, it changes cost to budget and time to schedule, and adds three more. The six constraints now are budget, schedule, scope, quality, resources and risk.
The way in which to balance these constraints is a challenge and differs from project to project. Some projects may be very time sensitive, while others may have very tight resource (e.g. personnel) restrictions. So there is no “one size fits all” solution for managing the project constraints. Every project is unique and needs to be assessed and managed appropriately.
There has been some discussion among the PMP population regarding changing the standards set forth by the PMI, and if they are “standards”, should they be changed? It is an interesting conundrum, for while standards are beneficial to have and tools one knows they can count on, should they not also be flexible enough to change with the times?
The phrase “triple constraints”, however, is widely known even among non-PMP types, and will probably continue to be used for quite some time.
Diversity in the workplace is an important topic today. At Leadership Techniques we have received many requests to discuss this. Managers want to know how to use diversity to their advantage. The reason for this interest is obvious…in our country at this time, diversity is a fact. It exists in many forms and combinations including cultural, ethnic, religion, race, background, and of course those biggies that everyone is talking about…age (meaning of course that we need to learn how to “manage” those darn millennials)…and that last big one….sexnicity.
I know…it’s not a word…yet. But we can’t really say sexual preference, can we? Well, that depends who you ask.
And of course, it’s very dangerous to discuss politics. These days if you express a political opinion that others disagree with, they may label you an idiot and your ingenious ideas won’t be accepted.
Therein lies the problem. When are we allowed to talk about our differences?
The best way to derive strength from the diversity that exists in your environment is to first understand it. You need to empathize with each individual and understand what turns them on and, more importantly, what turns them off!
Of course, we have to all be very careful about what we discuss because we don’t want to be accused of discrimination. So we all start to think that if we just ignore the differences between people we can’t possibly be accused of being prejudiced or making decisions based on a person’s beliefs or appearance.
But here in this blog we are allowed to discuss our differences. So let’s go! How can we all learn to be more tolerant of opinions and ideas so that we can not only “just get along” but actually build off each others differences and grow as individuals and teams!
You bring up a very interesting point. I was raised in a town that had very little diversity. We were never exposed to other races and cultures, so didn’t really know to question it. However, I knew enough to know that if I went to college in my area, I would basically have an extension of my high school experience. So I chose to attend a college out of the area, and was hit with diversity head on. My first roommate in college was of a different ethnicity. And while we had different upbringings and experiences, it was great to be in a situation where we had the opportunity to learn so much about one another.
Currently, young people growing up are faced with so many different experiences, and certainly with the current technology, they are exposed to much more than we saw on television “back in the day”. But how do they become more accepting of diversity when they were raised in a household that shunned being “different”? How do they go beyond what they were taught at home, or through their religious experience, and become more open-minded and accepting of different beliefs?
I agree with you that it begins with discussion and maybe it’s up to us “grown-ups” to show by example that we can have differences of opinion in an intelligent and polite way, without getting into a heated argument just because we have different beliefs or opinions.
GOOD, FAST or CHEAP….Pick two!
We hear it all the time and what troubles us at Leadership Techniques LLC (LTllc) is that people say it and laugh! Is it funny? Is it true? Is the job of the project manager to make sure that the client gets all three? If so, how do we do that? The answer…it’s magic!
Actually there is a secret. The secret is that we’re not going to deliver all three. In fact, we may not deliver ANY of the three!
Let’s begin with GOOD. Subjectively, good means high quality. Deming states that “quality is meeting or exceeding customer expectations.” If you don’t know who Deming is, then you need to look him up and study his philosophy. You absolutely need to do that to be an effective manager. Suffice to say that if Deming says quality means meeting expectations, we’re satisfied that it is what quality means.
Second…FAST. What does fast mean in the world of project management? The answer is simple. Fast means “ahead of schedule”. Slow means “behind schedule”. Is it our job to be ahead of schedule?
Third…CHEAP, which simply means below budget. Expensive…you guessed it…over budget! Or, more importantly, expensive means that the client paid more than their perceived value of what they received. In other words, expectations were not met.
So, for the project manager, the answer is simple. Good, fast, and cheap really means: meeting specification ahead of schedule and under budget. The fundamental job of the project manager is to set expectations correctly and then properly manage the balance of these three quantities which are lovingly and affectionately referred to as the triple constraint.
The triple constraint has recently been expanded to include six parameters: Time, Quality, Cost, Scope, Resources, and Risk. This new hexatuplet (is that a word?) has some very interesting implications and certainly we need to be acutely aware of each and know how to manage each one quantitatively and objectively. Our job really is to provide information in a spherical manner (up, down, and all around) so that the project can move forward and management can make effective decisions in a timely manner.
There’s always more to learn in the fast-paced and ever changing world of project management. What do you think? Is the hexatuplet the new key? Is the triple constraint an overused term from a bygone era? Is Deming our hero?
While the triple constraint might be oft-used, I don’t believe it should be written off as a term from a bygone era. Meeting the triple constraint, even in an ever-changing and needy market, will still garner your business happy clients. And meeting those three criteria for projects is still something that many companies fail to accomplish. Until you can be successful at setting the proper expectations and completing projects that meet/exceed specifications ahead of schedule and below budget, I think it’d be hard to focus on the expanded “hexatuplet.” (Which I think would technically be “sextuplet” …although your invented word perhaps sounds more business appropriate haha?)
I would love to see a blog on the added “constraints” and what they translate to in layman’s terms. Interesting read!
The term “triple constraint” has become a well-known term among project managers to refer to time, cost and scope. These three need to be in balance in order to maintain the quality of the project. If any of the three is at risk, it will affect at least one other factor, perhaps both.
However, the latest version of the PMBOK® (fourth edition) does not even refer to the triple constraint. Rather, it changes cost to budget and time to schedule, and adds three more. The six constraints now are budget, schedule, scope, quality, resources and risk.
The way in which to balance these constraints is a challenge and differs from project to project. Some projects may be very time sensitive, while others may have very tight resource (e.g. personnel) restrictions. So there is no “one size fits all” solution for managing the project constraints. Every project is unique and needs to be assessed and managed appropriately.
There has been some discussion among the PMP population regarding changing the standards set forth by the PMI, and if they are “standards”, should they be changed? It is an interesting conundrum, for while standards are beneficial to have and tools one knows they can count on, should they not also be flexible enough to change with the times?
The phrase “triple constraints”, however, is widely known even among non-PMP types, and will probably continue to be used for quite some time.