The Opsimath

Farewell chameleon, old friend

This week sees a number of changes in the world of accredited Change Management training.

We are seeing the introduction of a Practitioner qualification, new material added to the syllabus and changes to the Foundation examination. (All of these will be reflected in pearcemayfield's highly-acclaimed courses - watch for more details.)

However the biggest change, and the saddest one too, is that the old logo is being replaced.

Since its introduction, the Change Management logo has featured a chameleon. Not this one pictured here - he's preparing for the leaving party of his Change Management friend.

Was it corny to have a chameleon as a logo for change? Possibly. But even corny chameleons can find their way into your heart.

So, it's with sadness that we bid a fond farewell and we say goodbye to the old logo, and out of respect for our departing friend I will not include the new logo here (just yet).

Environmental photography award

There are some striking photographs on display here

Wisdom from Miss America

Here's a quote from a former Miss America (1949), Jacque Mercer. It seems to apply whether you are interested in winning a beauty pageant or developing a business:

"Practice smiling.
Smile at lamp posts and mail boxes.
Don't be modest - this isn't the time.
Always eat a snack before going to a luncheon meeting so you can spend your time charming not chewing."

It's Wolverhampton

"Ladies and gentlemen please try and contain your excitement as we will shortly be arriving in Wolverhampton."
Train announcer (very possibly a West Brom fan) announcing the train's impending arrival at Wolverhampton.

Trends and Practices in high performing projects

In a recent PWC global survey, the following trends have been identified as associated with project success:

• Stakeholder satisfaction (which seems to be more than just 'time and cost')
• The existence of a staff development programme
• Project Management certification
• The use of a project management method/methodology
• The focus on building portfolio management capability
• The use of a project management office function

Overall, the organisations that showed an understanding of and a willingness to leverage these elements of project management have a 'higher propensity to achieve project success'

Interesting reading.

Royal Mail - a Change Management case study in the making

It's got all the makings of the perfect case study - what can go wrong when leading and managing change.

Today we hear that Royal Mail has offered to approach the conciliation service Acas to discuss modernisation, but only if union members call off planned strikes, and the government has warned the CWU to bear in mind that there are alternatives to the postal system. "Technology is providing new ways of communicating," City minister Lord Myners said.

In an interview today a union representative talked of "change by executive decision".

As I said the other day, in my post about the new Change Management Practitioner qualification, this is an important time, as many organisations are engaged in serious transformation initiatives.

It will be interesting to see which models of change are being used by the different stakeholders involved. Only one thing is certain, we had better post early for Christmas.

Change Management Practitioner

Just received some good news - last week I sat the pilot Practitioner examination for the new Change Management qualification accredited by the APM Group, and today I have heard that I have passed with sufficient marks to allow me (and pearcemayfield) to train at Practitioner level.

So, we are now developing and planning our Change Management Practitioner courses, which will be available in the new year. More details on our website soon.

We have been looking forward to the introduction of this level of qualification as we believe that this is an important component in the transformation initiatives that many organisations are engaged in.

See you on the course!

The England Football team and business justification

When England lost their recent game against Ukraine, it was not entirely a surprise, as, by winning their previous game, they had already secured a place in the World Cup finals.

So when the 'first-choice' team was picked, their lack of motivation was understandable. These players expect to be chosen for the trip to South Africa next summer. They have little to prove. For them, the game had no purpose.

It is purpose that gives direction and meaning. In project management terms we would call this 'business justification' or the 'project business case'. It explains why we are doing what we are doing. For the first-choice England players, there was no reason, no justification. They had no good answer to the question 'Why?'

So last night, in another meaningless game (for both teams this time), England beat Belarus. How come?

Two main reasons I believe.

• Belarus had no 'business case', where as Ukraine last weekend needed a win to stand a chance of a play-off position. Belarus were making up the numbers.
• England had a changed team, containing enough players who were not sure of their places on the plane to South Africa to ensure that those players brought their own 'business case' to the game. They needed to impress. They had 'business justification'.

It just remains to be seen whether the ultimate decision maker was impressed enough...

Roots in Project magazine

Our charity - Roots - is featured in this month's edition of Project magazine as part of a focus on ethical thinking in project management.

The article is called "Projects in Uncontrolled Environments". Now there's a name that could catch on!

Precision Training

Seen on a website:

"The course runs from 10am until 4:14 pm"

How do they do that?