I have attended an interesting course on the OpenLearn platform, the “DIY Learn”. It is a set of online modules to help development practitioners understand and embed practical tools to support social innovation in their projects. Although this course is primarily intended to serve a specific sector (social innovation), I found it very engaging and rich in practical tools that might have also a use in other sectors.
I adapted the eight domains presented in the course, quoting some of the related tools that I found particularly relevant to the theme of this post (framing in project management). I also added other tools that, based on my experience, could potentially help. I kept in consideration the limitations of framing described in the earlier article, as:
- frames filter what we see;
- frames themselves are often hard to see;
- frames appear complete and simple;
- frames appears often exclusive;
- frames can be hard to change;
- frames integrate character, logic and emotions.
I reflected on how the suggested tools can help in overcoming those limitations. The eight domains should not necessarily be considered in a sort of sequence or priority. There are also lots of interconnections between the tools as they may easily apply to more than one domain, so there might be some repetitions – the grouping is simply used to ease the reader into the tools.
- Generate ideas
- Look around & look ahead
- Collect input from others
- Develop a plan
- Clarify priorities → Decide → Change
- Test & improve
- Implement & sustain
- Know you & the people
1. Generate ideas
It is important to foster an environment that encourages all the project participants to explore options and opportunities, whether at project inception or for decision-making along the project. There will be a need to balance the mindset of logic with the one of creativity and innovation – each one of us will have a personal inclination and natural preference for one mindset over the other. Here are some tools.
Brainstorming – it is a situation where a group of people meet to generate new ideas and solutions around a specific domain of interest. People are encouraged to think without inhibition, freely and suggest as many new ideas as possible, in a spontaneous fashion. All the ideas are noted down, without criticism. This is a very popular tool, intended to remove filters and biases. My experience with brainstorming is pretty poor, with sessions rushed, poorly coached, with still a lot of inhibition or even conflicts. But it is a very popular tool and I read that it could be very effective.
Creative workshops – A Creative Workshop is focused on providing a supportive environment for participants to share ideas openly. Creative workshops are excellent in providing insights into people’s perspectives on a particular issue. For a project, they are useful when putting together all the key project stakeholders, those involved with the project, the sponsors, the beneficiaries, the contributors, the subject experts, or those affected by the project dynamics. Again, another difficult tool to use effectively, that requires a strong and capable organiser.
“Fast-idea” generator – this tool allows the team to generate ideas by looking at a problem from different perspectives. It helps to move people away from their own mindset and be more inclusive. It is about taking the project’s prevailing idea or proposition and applying challenges, bending or stretching the idea with various assumptions, such as inversion, extension, addition, subtraction etc. I never used it directly but I can see the value in testing and proofing the project hypothesis,away from stereotypes and fixed frames.
‘Six Thinking Hats’ – many of you will have surely heard or read about Edward deBono’s “Six Thinking Hats”. It is a way of investigating an issue from a variety of perspectives, but in a clear, conflict-free manner. It can be used by individuals or groups to move away from habitual ways of thinking, and think constructively about how to move forward. Each individual or group is asked to symbolically wear a coloured hat, representing a specific way of thinking. Then the individuals (or groups) are asked to “change the hat”, so as to embrace a different thinking mode. If the exercise is done correctly, it is effective in encouraging people to see others’ perspectives. It really helps in understanding your own frame of thinking and its boundaries!
2. Look around & look ahead
Tools here are not only intended to consider the multitude of stakeholders involved or affected by the project, but also to open up to the prospects around and ahead, as opportunities and challenges presented to the project.
Stakeholder mapping – This is about mapping (literally) all the parties that are not only involved or contributing to a project, but also affected by the project (either by its outcome or by its processes). It is a fundamental feature in the stakeholder management process.
SWOT – this has become a common tool in many sectors and types of businesses, with many applications. As many will know, the acronym stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It is an exercise intended to identify and analyse internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. When done effectively and collaboratively, it will help to analyse aspects of a project that may not be entirely evident and that come up only when variety in views is considered.
ATOM – This stands for ‘Active Threat and Opportunity Management’, a more elegant and effective way to identify true risk management. It is not just a one-off, ticking-the-box exercise that looks only to threats, but a more active approach that also addresses opportunities. If properly embedded in the organisation or team, it will create the necessary awareness to the wider context and agility for adapting the project to external circumstances. Here is where getting an external risk professional would help, as the analysis should be wide and deep, away from personal biases and fixed mindsets.
Theory of change – It is a methodology (or a criteria) for planning, participation, adaptive management and evaluation of an initiative. It is very relevant for those involved in social change, either in philanthropic projects, international development projects, research, and government sectors. It is meant to be a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. The emphasis is on mapping out how project activities or interventions lead to the desired goals. It is a participative exercise, with a clear methodology, that helps in building consensus.
Value-stream mapping – This is a tool coming from the Lean practice and it might suit those projects that are aimed at process improvements or are process-oriented. It is about the analysis of the current state and designing a future state for the series of events that take a product or service from the beginning to the final project customers or beneficiaries. It is very practical, an essential tool to keep the project on the correct path, away from distortion caused by individuals’ perceptions or frames.
3. Collect input from others
The tools here are shared with those quoted in the idea generation section. For example, the creative workshops tool can be particularly useful. What else can be tried?
‘Question Ladder’ – A ‘Question Ladder’ is a structured and systematic approach to questioning that enables the exploration of an issue from a number of angles. It allows us to approach the knowledge and information in a project differently. The Question Ladder opens the issue up, allowing all the stakeholders participating in the exercise to gain new knowledge and information from a variety of angles. This tool has merit in structuring the approach and opening the view to all the participants.
POEMS – this is an observational research framework that is used to make sense of the elements (as People, Objects, Environments, Messages, Services) present in a context. It gives structure to the researchers (or the project members) involved in the observation and provides a common ground for an objective evaluation of the context. It is excellent in encouraging lateral thinking, in stimulating variety in the views and inputs. It may have value for complex interventions or ground-breaking initiatives.
4. Develop a plan
Much is being said at the moment on the need for new approaches in project planning, required to cope with such a VUCA world. Specific planning and scheduling tools may be available in the specific project’s discipline and sector, but there are tools of general utility.
SWOT – I mentioned this above, under the “Look around & look ahead” section. SWOT has some merit in the development of a plan, as helping in looking clearly at threats and opportunities that are collectively understood. The plan can then be structured to address these threats and opportunities.
Business model canvas – This is a strategic management tool used for developing business models. It offers a visual chart with elements describing a product’s value proposition. I have never applied it, but through what I learned in the OpenLearn course I see the potential utility in moving the project team away from fixed frames, as a hands-on tool aimed to foster understanding, discussion, creativity, and collective analysis around the planning. All, for a better project plan.
Logical framework – The Logical Framework approach is a methodology mainly used for designing, monitoring and evaluating development projects. There are variations of this tool, such as Goal-Oriented Project Planning (GOPP) or Objectives-Oriented Project Planning (OOPP). This approach requires an analytical process which logically sets out the objectives of the project and how they can be achieved. This approach does not only improve a project design, but also assists with fostering focus on planning, metrics and project performance.
5. Clarify priorities → Decide → Change
Project management is about continued dilemmas, decisions and changes. There are many visual tools that can help in the process of focusing on priorities and deciding the course of action. What is important is to try different approaches.
Theory of change/Logical framework – I cited these under the “Look around & look ahead” and “Develop a plan” sections. With the Theory of Change and the Logical Framework, it is possible to keep the stakeholders focused on the agreed project outcomes and outputs. Priorities should be clear to all, and agreed in a participative manner.
Causal diagram – This is another tool borrowed from the Lean practice. This is a very analytical approach to get to the causes of a problem. It could help in getting all the factors considered and, importantly, allow for a view from various angles (as people will have various opinions on the subject). It will help in reaching consensus and plan for a decision.
“Five-Whys” – It is an iterative and interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. This is another tool borrowed by the Lean practice, but that has a wider application.
6. Test & improve
During the course of a project it may be impractical (or impossible) to trial/testing solutions or changes. However, with sufficient forward thinking and planning it may be possible to build into the project trial & testing opportunities. The Agile approach acknowledges the benefits that can be created with a fluid scope development, which is based on continued development, trial, testing and phased deployment.
Blueprinting – this may be applicable when developing services or a complex, multi-layered process that involves lots of people and technologies. With “blueprinting”, we can visually map out the steps in a service process, making it easier to design the process, to plan for the experience testing or the prototyping. It might be useful to make those more imaginative and creative people face the physical reality of a context, helping them to frame for delivery.
Experience map – This is about trying to experience the new service or process. It involves ‘living the experience’ of the project beneficiaries or those affected by the change that the team is trying to bring to the project. I think it can be useful to challenge fixed mindsets and offer reality tests.
Prototype test plan – The agreement for a prototype solution may be a good way to make opposing views meet in the middle. A prototype test plan puts people in a less confrontational frame, when having to make a decision.
7. Implement & sustain
The issues with implementation and sustainability are recurring in projects, especially for those related to new or improved processes or services. Often the implementation is delegated to separate teams that are not (or insufficiently) involved in the development. Also sustainability is often overlooked. Those tools related to customer experience, stakeholder management etc are key. What else can be tried?
Control plans – This tool comes from the Lean practice. It is the document for the functional elements of control that are to be implemented in order to assure that “quality” standards are met for the product, process or service. The tool has to be adapted to the nature of the project, sector or field, but it is mainly to invite the team to be reminded of the features or standards that the project is intended to produce. The merit is in trying to make people stick to the agreed format, avoid divergence or scope creeping, and collectively “frame” for the common goal.
Frame for change – it is to ensure that a suitable change management is in place. We all know that changes in projects are always challenging. The change management is well embedded in all the new PM training standards and practices, but it could be easily overlooked and de-prioritised. This could happen when overly optimistic, hubris attitudes and dominant frames take the lead. A structured change management established since the inception of the project can assist in managing change sensibly and transparently, avoiding conflicts.
8. Know you & the people
It is important to keep remembering that we all have frames and biases. Focusing on people’s skills, mindset and thinking styles is important so as to be able to better tailor project management practices and interventions and avoid conflicts.
Thinking styles – These are the characteristic ways of processing information that individuals have. Each one of us is unique, to an extent, in how to acquire knowledge, organise thoughts, form views and opinions, apply personal values, solve problems, make decisions, plans, and express oneself to others. Especially where close teamwork is required, it is important to be mindful of these differences – there are many tools that can help for highlighting those styles. Challenging those thinking styles is not easy but occasionally necessary.
“People & Connection” map – It is a quick and simple way to visualise exactly who the project is trying to reach, who contributes to the project, who is affecting and how. It gives an overview of all the different individuals, organisations, communities and agents involved. It goes a little bit further than the Stakeholders Mapping and creates the basis for the “Personas”.
“Personas” – This is a tool that may have only very specific applications, but I found it very interesting and a possible progression built on the “People & Connections” map. When planning and managing projects or development initiatives, it is important to be clear about the needs and behaviours of the project stakeholders or project beneficiaries. “Personas” are word profiles of fictional but realistic individuals that are used to describe particular groups in the intended project stakeholders. These “personas” are created using data and real facts. What is the added-value of this exercise, compared to other tools like, for example, the stakeholder mapping? I think they help in building empathy, enabling project managers and planners to “see” their project or service through the eyes of users and beneficiaries. They can encourage consensus, help on building a shared vision and a buy-in into the project – a good way to remove fixed frames and stiff biases.
Conclusion
“Framing” has a wide application to many disciplines, sectors and professional fields. Framing is also very important in business, for example for leadership, in crisis management, in communication, in priority-setting, problem-solving and decision-making etc.
In this series, first I looked at framing in its nature, definitions and general applications. We need frames to make sense of our world, to help us in understanding and to assist with decisions. Frames are therefore natural, instinctive and often automatic. Our brain needs them.
I have then looked at the inherent limitations of the framing and stated that mastering framing is an art (rather than a science) and, as such, it is not precise and often elusive.
Frames are natural and essential in project management too. Framing is about understanding where our cognitive and emotional frames (our assumptions) stand and about learning and adopting practices and tools that can help us in managing effectively assumptions’ constraints, exploiting the benefits. I looked at six areas of PM in which frames are used.
And finally, in the last article I listed some practical tools that can be used to help project practitioners in framing effectively in projects.
I hope this overview was of interest and offered something useful and applicable to your work.
Marco Bottacini, Senior Portfolio Manager at GALVmed
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinion of GALVmed.
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