You will be following Chuck Brothers, the project manager in this game. He has worked at ‘The Flying Fig’ for twenty-five years. Starting as a baker, Chuck worked his way through night school and became a project manager (PM) in business operations, where he has been for over ten years. He loves project management, his company, and learning new methods and technologies. Chuck thinks his honesty, hard work, and accomplishments over the years have allowed him to be promoted to the highest level he can get for a PM, which is equivalent to a senior manager.  

   Recently, Chuck has noticed a change in the company culture. When he started the focus was on quality baked goods and over the years that focus has shifted to making the company the most money possible. What used to be a small business is now very large. Like most people Chuck is dependent on his job to support his family and pay his mortgage. He has recently felt hampered by disingenuous management and wonders if he will make his planned retirement in two years.

   A stakeholder assessment is an evaluation of a stakeholder by the project manager and it is typically an opinion based on personal experience and observation. Every stakeholder in this game will have an assessment. Many PMs simply do assessments in their heads because a formal document could cause trouble – meaning if someone finds Chuck’s written assessment of a stakeholder it could be used against him especially if it was unflattering to a team member. 

   Some PMs do a teaming event where willing stakeholders complete a personality test or management style survey resulting in insights on how to communicate effectively with each other. For this game assessments will be using characteristics I think will help you, the reader, make informed decisions in the game. 

   Chuck is the project manager, but he is also a stakeholder. Below is Chuck's self-assessment.

The Business, Culture, and Organizational Structure

The Project: Digitizing the Equipment Dashboard

   Chuck’s manager gave him a new project that will require his agile experience. Most PMs in the organization do waterfall methodology and are unfamiliar with agile. The project details are in an STP (Situation, Target, Proposal), which is common and used as a charter by most PMs. 

• Situation – The Flying Fig uses an excel spreadsheet that displays multiple measures of health for each piece of equipment in the bakery. This spreadsheet is updated and evaluated monthly by the bakers, mechanics, and equipment engineers to ensure all equipment is healthy. This heavily used spreadsheet became corrupted last week and had to be restored by manually inputting the data from a printed copy found on the baker’s desk. The information is vital to the productivity of the company.
• Target / Goal - Business operations is to digitize this spreadsheet with a robust application so it is easily used, incorruptible, and will improve reporting. In addition, there are customers who want to add features that will enhance the ability to input and monitor status.
• Proposal – Business operations will convert this spreadsheet to a robust dashboard. The customers are the employees at the Flying Fig that use this dashboard. There should be little or no disruption to those customers.

   Chuck is familiar with this spreadsheet and knows there is a project manager in business operations that owns the current process. His first question is “why not give this project to her?” Chuck’s manager responds with silence and a blank stare. After several awkward moments Chuck asks about the expected timeline.

   Business operations have been trying to digitize this spreadsheet for a year, and the managers have a goal to get it completed in the next three months. Corruption of the spreadsheet recently has made this project urgent. Chuck is directed to a server with a list of stakeholders and the documented process for using this spreadsheet.

Excited to get started with the project, Chuck tried to meet with the current spreadsheet PM, Steph Noo. Unfortunately, she is out of the office for a few days, so Chuck asks others about her. Steph Noo facilitated a workshop with engineering two months ago and nothing has happened since.

   When Steph Noo returns to the office Chuck meets with her to talk about the project. 

   She is sarcastically helpful and confirms she facilitated a workshop but has absolutely no notes or action items to share. When Chuck asked why she is not the PM who will digitize she simply makes it clear she is against the project. Chuck assumes it is because she does not know agile and discusses the difference between waterfall and agile. Steph sharply demands that Chuck not lecture her.

   Chuck makes several suggestions on how they can partner, but she gives Chuck a firm "no". From one PM to another, Chuck tells Steph that she is the classic negative stakeholder, and she proudly agrees. Chuck feels he has communicated to her respectfully and honestly.

   Chuck meets again with his manager, Amelia Yess. She is not surprised that Steph Noo is against digitization. Chuck mentions that Steph’s role is not clear and that may be the reason she is a negative stakeholder. Amelia Yess responds that it is Chuck’s job to convert the spreadsheet and Steph's job to manage the dashboard before and after the conversion.

   Chuck decides this project needs more than the STP and informs Amelia he is drafting a charter (a formal document used to identify the scope of work and grants the PM the authority to manage the project) and a RACI (used to identify who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed on tasks within a project).

   Amelia is impressed with Chuck’s progress. She knew he was the right choice for this project because he has agile experience and is known for getting things done. She informs Chuck that she is leaving the company in two weeks for a contract job, and he will get another manager soon.

   In the past three years Chuck has had eight managers and most of them were new to management and the company. A high turnover is common and disruptive to getting things done. Regardless of the turnover, Chuck tries hard to find ways to "win" in his projects. 

   Chuck is eager to start the project and completed the charter and RACI with input from Amelia and the Sr. manager. It was reviewed by the leadership council and signed by the Director. Chuck thought role clarity would make Steph more supportive, but she would not partner with him. Chuck mentions this to Amelia, and she quietly smiles.

   Below is the Project Charter.

   Chuck determines the best methodology to use for this project. He creates a visual of the project lifecycle merging the standard company leadership milestones and agile PM methodology the IT department will use. 

User Stories

   Chuck schedules some introductory meetings with the customers to share the charter, RACI, project lifecycle, and a brief overview of the agile methodology he will be using during execution. Steph Growl has decided she is taking a three-week vacation and will not be able to attend. Here are the stakeholders of the project and how the requirements gathering went:

   At The Flying Fig all IT projects are estimated by that department. Chuck meets with Izzy, the IT manager and her team to share the charter and the user stories. They estimate the spreadsheet can be converted in two months with minimal resources and little cost. 

   Chuck gets an irate phone call from Ean, the sr. engineering manager. He wants to know why Chuck is asking his mechanic and lead engineer for user stories. There is nothing official, but he (Ean) will be digitizing this dashboard because the subject matter experts are in his organization. Ean informs Chuck that Steph, Niles and himself have been meeting weekly on this project since the workshop.

   Chuck takes a mental note that Ean is on the Leadership council and would have been in attendance when the project charter was approved. Chuck asks Ean if the director or business operations management is aware of his plans. Ean responds, "Not yet". Chuck asks Ean if any notes were taken in the workshop that Steph facilitated. Ean states that he has all the notes and action items. Chuck asks Ean to share but Ean declines because it will only cause confusion. 

   Chuck has a lot to think about. Ean is not aligned to the project charter and seems to have kept this from the leadership council and Izzy is unable to execute the plan within the 3 month timeline. Chuck decides to organize the stakeholders by their influence on the project and if they are positive, negative or neutral to the charter (or scope). 

   Chuck takes note that Ean and Izzy are the most impactful negative stakeholders for this project. They also have a high barometer for disagreement and neither of them are in his organization. Amelia Yess, Chuck's manager, is the most impactful positive stakeholder but avoids disagreements. 

   Sometimes an attitude toward the project needs to be encouraged or discouraged. To win the game Chuck will need to manage stakeholders successfully and navigate the organizational power structure. Should a PM ignore bad behavior and let things work themselves out or attempt to move a negative stakeholder to neutral? Chuck's next step should be based on the severity of the issues, his self-assessment, the stakeholder's assessment, management support, and his organizational structure.

   It is time for you, the game player, to make the first decision! 

   Read each option below and then choose only one.

   a) Chuck can keep working the project and ignore bad behavior. Afterall, he is the project manager, and he has a charter signed by the Director. If he addresses the negative stakeholders, he may be considered a troublemaker and make things worse. If he has more issues later, he will decide to do something about it then.

   b) Chuck can discuss Ean's issues with him like mature professionals in a private conversation. He plans on appealing to the common goals outlined in the signed charter. Afterall, Chuck is a sr. PM equivalent to a sr. manager, and they are on the same project team, they work for the same company, and digitizing the spreadsheet will be a win for everyone.     

   c) Chuck can escalate to his management. Ean's issues should have been resolved when they were discussed in the leadership council before the charter was approved. Izzy should make her resources available to meet with the charter timeline because digitizing the dashboard would align to the company objectives to automate. 

   Now it is time for you to choose one option.