The Eighth Step - Right Concentration

The last step in the Eightfold Path focuses on concentration, which leads to meditation. Meditation is part of most religions, but can meditation be applied to work?

I have a problem solving technique I use that falls in line with this step. When I have a problem that needs a creative solution, I start by reviewing the information I have on the problem. I'll then retreat to a quiet place and get comfortable. I take some time to quiet my mind by concentrating on my breath. When I've cleared all my thoughts, I then start reflecting on the problem. Do I have the right problem identified or is there more to it? Do I understand the root cause of the problem? What are the options?

I usually find the answer isn't far away, I just needed some quiet time to figure it out. At this point I head back to my desk and start working on the solution.

So that's the last of the Eightfold Path and its relation to project management as I see it. I don't know what I'll write about next, I'll have to reflect on it for a while.

Six Sigma and Project Management

I recently wrote an article for the Center for Business Practices talking about how Six Sigma can be applied to a project management environment. Read it here.

PMI EMEA Congress

I've just gotten back home after traveling to Madrid to attend the PMI EMEA Congress. The turnout this year was great! They had over 700 attendees. Madrid was a beautiful city, lots of old world charm. The tapas and cervecas were always good.

The topics were across the board from an introductory explanation of how to calculate slack on a network diagram to advance techniques for conducting reviews during software development projects (waterfall and agile). One of my favorite papers, by Dr Al Zeitoun my friend Janet Burns was titled "Cocktail Napkin Project Management" providing a simple approach for project management for people that aren't professional project managers.

I think it's time for me to go study a cocktail napkin or two. Cheers.

The Seventh Step - Right Mindfulness

The other day when I was running, I was thinking to much about some challenges at work and missing the fact that it was a beautiful spring day, the sky was brilliant blue, there were trees and flowers blooming. I was already on my way home before I noticed what a great day it was.

Right mindfulness is talking about having a clear mind. It means noticing the fine details even while in the middle of diversity. It's noticing the flowers in spite of the problems at work. It means not doing things that serve the ego.

As a project manager, this ties into leadership. Anyone that has led people has probably faced performance issues with them occasionally. I know I have in my past, and it did occupy my mind to where I didn't appreciate the flowers. While these issues must be dealt with, we can't take them personally. We have to address the issue objectively, work through a solution, and then move on. So clear your mind and take a minute to smell the flowers.

The Sixth Step - Right Effort

It was tough for me to see an easy tie between this step and project management, which is ironic because this step is about not taking the easy way out. Maybe that’s the tie. Shortcuts aren’t the answer to life’s questions, so should they be the answer in project management?

A key step early in a project is understanding the scope of the project. What is it that we are going to deliver? What are the deliverables? This is not the time to take a shortcut. In order for the project to be successful, we need to carefully work through this problem. That’s the only way we’ll find the true answer.

The Fifth Step - Right Livelihood

As I was researching this step of the Eightfold Path, I had to reflect on my own career. Like most (or all) people, I've had jobs I've loved and jobs I've hated. When the alarm goes off in the morning, do you say "not again" or do you jump out of bed, eager to start the day. These days, I am eager to get to work (and yes, we are hiring).

Project management can be be rewarding or frustrating. A lot of times we are expected to do things without the official authority. We don't always get the resources we need, and yet we are expected to deliver. But when a project is delivered successfully, what a feeling of satisfaction.

The right livelihood doesn't necessarily mean we seek out a job because it is more morally correct. It has to do with how we approach our job/career. We need to go out and do our best, not for reward or recognition, because that is feeding our ego. We do our best, because it's the right thing to do. Then we will see the stress dimish and find satisfaction.

The Fourth Step - Right Action

It's easy to do the right thing, isn't it? We wouldn't rob a bank or embezzle millions in our company (Enron or Worldcom not withstanding). But what about those smaller, less significant cases of maybe not doing the right thing. Where do we draw the line? Is it really a big deal if the procurement officer got a couple of tickets to the football game from the vendor? No one was really hurt, and besides, their product was best, wasn't it?

The fourth step of the eightfold path is right action. If we do the right thing, we will be in harmony, while if we do the wrong thing, even if seemingly insignificant, we will be in opposition with nature. As project managers, we need to apply insight to our decisions so that we follow the path that will progress our goals, spiritual or otherwise.