To the Cloud, Gently

As a member of Generation X (born in the early 70’s), and as the middle child of three, I have come to accept, perhaps even embrace, my  professional positioning between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials – the two that really matter (IMHO) in the socio-economic dynamics of the day. The spending power of corporate leading and actively retired boomers, coupled with the almost innate “wiredness” of today’s young adults, bodes for a future of even more integrated technological experiences across platforms and devices that actually do make life easier and better.

I am in-between. I have a certain old school way of thinking and approaching life that comes from being a “tween” during Reagenomics. I remember, with fondness btw,  first getting cable TV  and sitting on the floor up close to turn stations because the 33 channel plastic slide box was tethered to the TV by a 3 foot, brown plastic cord.  In college, I first saw the internet in action when a friend placed  his telephone onto a physical modem to “log-in” and register for a class. The rest of us stood in line.  I remember what it was in the human disposition that compensated for things later to be replaced by conveniences in personal computing.

On the other hand, greying temples aside, most people mistake me for being 10 years younger than I am. For whatever reason, my personal and professional lives have kept me in touch with what is going on at the edge – at least in terms of technology and the way it is affecting social dynamics. Beyond being a consumer, I have been an interactive production lead for over 10 years. My experience is from the data management to cross-platform front end-interactions and content.  I understand the power of full,  seamless connectivity – even though a part of me remembers a different way of being.

It is because of this perspective that I often provide professional value  by bridging the gap between the established way and the innovative way. The ability to see and appreciate both sides helps me create win-win scenarios that make sense to varying stakeholders who differ in, amongst other things, seniority, professional role and generational perspective.

The practical difference usually manifests in a decision to adopt a cloud based, SaaS application to replace client side installations of business application software.  This also means paying attention to which cloud solutions offer the best potential integration with other applications to promote ultimate connectedness.  It also shows up as analytical decisions of what success metrics can indicate positive ROI from social media campaigns, and how to define lifetime value for CRM marketing to a new breed of wired consumers. From the strategic to the tactical,  I constantly find myself in the middle of decision making processes that pit corporate momentum against the ever changing interactive landscape.   This is also the case with a number of known advertising agencies that started off in print and are now “doing digital.”

But don’t get me wrong, this is not a case of “out with the old, in with the new.”  As was true in any generation preceding ours, the younger must learn from the older. Wisdom of experience is not a quaint bygone of the pre-Ipad  era, and sometimes the best solutions, whether they use technology or not, are best assessed by people who know what it means to only know life under the cloud. All you need is someone who has been there and back.

Love thy Project

At any given moment, there are two types of project managers in the world: those that love the projects they manage, and those that don’t. OK, that may be an oversimplification but the truth remains that one can become a master practitioner of the project management life cycle without ever developing an emotional attachment to any particular type of project life cycle. Many PM’s enjoy the process of managing process and are agnostic to the substance and context of any particular project.

Sure, experience in a given industry or technology category does grow on a person. Knowing the ropes is key to being a successful PM, and that in of itself is something to appreciate. However, removal of the unknown (the tribulations of doing something new) is not the same as feeling passion for the known (the substance and context of a project).

Factors like “adequate budget,”  “a good team” and “low risk” are not reasons to love a project. They might be reasons to love and appreciate the project management process, but not the project itself. Here are some factors that have more to do with the project as a project:

• The industry – publishing, healthcare, financial, entertainment, non-profit, etc.
• The audience – B to B, B to C, internal, etc
• The technology – infrastructure, database, application, interaction, etc.
• (I’m sure there are others and I welcome responses to add to the list.)

I believe it is important for those of us in this noble profession to gives ourselves the benefit of identifying what are the features of projects that motivate more than our obsession with getting things done on time. In fact, the most dynamic and thriving project managers I know are the ones who are deeply connected to the socio-cultural positioning of their work. While we may not always find contracts and positions that represent that ideal, establishing that vision is an integral first step in making it come true.

But it’s still just a guess, right?

I present the chart summarizing the numbers for the pitch – hours by milestone and associated costs, to design and produce a large digital media project.

Boss says with a slight sense of unease, “where did these numbers come from…what’s our back-up?”

I whip out sheet #2 – a breakdown of hours by department / function for each of the milestones. I explain that many of the numbers were discussed with relevant team members. I also state that I checked historicals of similar projects, but most of the examples were aberational in some way so there was no absolute direct comparison, but…

“But it’s still just a guess, right?” she interupts with a manifest glimmer of panic.

“Yes,” I say. “What else is an estimate supposed to be?”