#pm_ngt (project management New Generation  Thinking) is a pragmatic integration of the structure of P2 (extended) with (most of) the tools of D4 and the PMBoK Guide. This blog-post is the first of several that survey what is included in #pm_ngt and how the bits are integrated.

(if P2 D4 etc aren’t familiar see previous week’s post)

Basis

#pm_ngt is based on; 1)  a timeline that runs from idea through unfreezing the status quo, creating new human, intellectual and physical capital and re-stabilizing the organisation in a new (perhaps dynamic) equilibrium, and 2) a decision making architecture that spans direction setters at the ‘top’ and technicians creating capability at the ‘bottom’ of the governance hierarchy.

These two axis are end2end™ and top2bottom™ or BoardRoom2BoilerRoom™

At the start of change

When an adaptive pressure arises the people of an organisation need to be able to visualise the impacts of threat and opportunity in terms of what the future can look like. D4 provides us with a concept and a tool labelled a Recognition Event® (RE) to help.

You could say a RE is a milestone and you’d be correct but woefully incomplete. An RE is the test by which a named individual (or role) applies a binary (pass/ fail) test within a pre-defined business context and geographical location and at a pre-defined time.

REs are mostly phrased something like “I see a smiling customer make a transaction and leave satisfied”. REs are statements of destination, they are solution agnostic (solution free) and in business vocabulary. REs are a board-room thinking tool for people who legitimately need to plan right to left and cascade a realistically deliverable vision of the future.

Near the start

As an organisation we would only want to pursue REs that are aligned to our mission and values as expressed in current vision. So during preliminary stages of planning the organisation’s Value Drivers (VDs) are reviewed (or compiled if required!) and systematically traced backwards and forwards to/ from the REs to ensure every RE is aligned and every (in scope) VD is addressed.

The search for value and benefits

An RE is binary and so it is absolute and thus avoids the problems of project objectives such as “improve” or “reduce”. The RE describes an observable change in some element of the organisation’s capital (see previous week’s posts if this isn’t a striking revelation). As REs are linked to the organisation’s Value Drivers each must cause or contribute one or more date-able changes in the organisations cash-flows and/ or asset base. The specific point in time at which a cash (or asset or other kpi) change will be observed is a Value Flashpoint® (VF).

VFs are after the time that P2 & PMBOK would recognise as project end. REs are often what P2 & PMBoK would consider to be the indication that the project is over. REs are the start point for two topics of deep interest to successful delivery of business change:

• Planning backwards from our vision of success
• Socialising change and solution in order to acclimatise people to the coming disruption to the world they are comfortable with

These two are the subject of next week’s posting