Pooja Bansal, PMP@

Project Manager - AIS public sector

- Total It industry experience of around 9 years.
- Working in IBM for the last 2+ years.
- Worked with C-DOT and Patni Computer Systems prior
to joining IBM.
- Vast experience of managing projects in telecom,
financial and public domains.

IBM India PM Sharenet, © Copyright IBM

December 2008 Corporation 2008
 The Soft Skills that
Deliver Hard Results
Pooja Bansal

IBM India PM Sharenet, © Copyright IBM

December 2008 Corporation 2008
 Session Objectives

By the end of this session,

you will be able to understand:
 What are soft skills ?
 Need of Soft skills in Project Mgmt ‘Global context’
 Some of the most critical soft skills
 How to develop soft skills – techniques/top tips
(practical examples)
 How to efficiently apply soft skills in day to day project
management ?

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December 2008
 Agenda

 Hard skills versus Soft skills

 Why do we need to focus on soft skills in today’s Global context ?..
 Critical Soft skill dimensions
 Time management
 Communication skills
 Stress management
 Conflict management
 Decision Making
 Cultural awareness
 Some issues
 Educate PMs - Integrating Soft Skills and Hard Skills in
Software Project Management ?

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December 2008
 First of all, what do we mean by
“soft skills?”…Lets read the below
story to understand !!
When she concentrates, “Susan K.” can type at least 40 words a minute. She
would probably be faster without the three inch finger nails. Her spelling is
decent, and she can format a document in the major word-processing programs
with basic commands like centered headings, indented text and boldface type.
She knows the rudiments of Excel and Lotus 1-2-3: she can enter and sum a
column of numbers, move the column elsewhere, and multiply the rows by those
in another column. Susan K. is smart and more competent than many first time
clerical workers.
The longest she has held a job is three weeks.
Few workforce development practitioners are fond of the phrase “soft skills.” It is
vague, it is mildly dismissive, a bit of a ‘cliche’. But then they meet someone like
Susan K. and try to describe why, with all her unquestionable “hard” skills, she is
so frustrating to work with and employ. Suddenly the phrase and the distinction it
embodies become almost inescapable.
Susan K. slouches in her chair, chews gum loudly, swears like a trucker at rush
hour. She genuinely likes people and is known to go out of her way to be kind to
neighbors, but she comes on so harshly that most people are frightened of her.
She dislikes criticism and responds either with unprintable putdowns or icy
sullenness. She has learned most of her office skills on her own (“when the
teacher just leaves me alone so I can do my work”).
It is no surprise to learn that Susan’s background is grim. The details are heart-
breaking. But for a workforce development program, especially in the high-
pressure policy environment of “Work First,” Susan is first and foremost a
“soft-skills” challenge. Many employers are begging for her talents. But at this
stage, no one can use them………..

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December 2008
 Hard Skills versus Soft skills ..
Hard skills
 Technical skills required within the confines of a domain
 Dimensions: Processes, Tools, Techniques

Soft skills
 Non-technical skills
 Not given due consideration while managing projects.
 An art concerned with managing and working with people, ensuring customer
satisfaction with the intention of retaining them and creating a conducive
environment for the project team to deliver high quality products within budget
and on time and exceeding stakeholders expectations.
 Soft skills are acquired through experience, but sensitization is necessary during
formal software project management courses.

“Technical Skills will get you the interview, but it’s the soft skills that get you the job”

Soft Skills – The Other Shoe

 “The day of considering quality and teamwork as special has passed. Not because
they aren’t important, but because the bar has been raised to the point where we
feel they’re mandatory. We don’t even consider hiring someone who can’t exhibit
these skills. It’s like getting your measles shot before school.” - Patricia Murray;
Corporate VP for HR; Intel Corp

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December 2008
 Why do we need to focus on soft
skills in today’s Global context ?..
• Software project management probably is a sector that has
witnessed the highest rate of project failure in the world.

• Tech skills alone are no guarantee of success.

• Soft skills help advance your career.

• Soft skills empower you and create opportunities.

• Soft skills not only improve your career, they also offer personal
growth.

•Do you have more tech skills than sense? Work on communication
and leadership.
• Soft skills help you grow beyond money motivation
• Developing professional ethics is vital to your career.
• Control co-worker’s perception of you as a professional and an
expert in your field

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December 2008
 Critical Soft skill dimensions

 Time Management
 Communication skills
 Stress Management
 Conflict Resolution
 Decision Making
 Cultural awareness

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December 2008
 Time Management

Technique

Top Tips
The 80:20 Rule
• Beating Procrastination
– Manage your time. Get it
all done.
• Activity Logs – Know
where your time goes
Action Plans – Starting to
achieve, in a small way
• Prioritized ‘To Do’ Lists -
Taking control of your time
• Effective Scheduling -
Bringing your workload
under control
• Personal Goal Setting –
Planning to live your life your
way

IBM India PM Sharenet, 9

December 2008
 Communication skills
A PM spends 90% of his/her time
communicating….

Technique
Johari
Window Top Tips
Helping people understand one-another
• Better Public Speaking
• Writing Skills
• Effective Email
• Ice Breakers
• Running Productive
Meetings
• Win-Win Negotiation
• Speaking to an Audience
• Active Listening
• Presentation Planning
Checklist

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December 2008
 Stress management
Techniques
Stress Diary - Identifying the short-
term stress in your life.
Job Analysis - The first step in
managing work overload and job
stress.
Performance Planning - Planning
ahead to reduce performance stress.
Imagery - Mental stress
management.
Thought Awareness, Rational
Thinking and Positive Thinking
IBM India PM Sharenet,
December 2008
Top tips
• Managing pressure effectively
• Do a 'Stress Audit‘
• Choose a different way to
behave
• Understand the link between
Communication and Stress
• Set Appropriate Boundaries
• Practise the Art of Saying "No"
• Lower your Standards
• Ask for Support
• Stop
• Find the Humour
• Give yourself a Treat
11
 Conflict Management
Technique

Concern for Others

Integrating Obliging
High

Compromising

Dominating Avoiding
Low Top tips
• Clarifying Confusion
About Conflict
High Low • Types of Managerial
Actions that Cause
Concern for Self Workplace Conflicts
• Key Managerial
Actions / Structures to
Minimize Conflicts
• Ways People Deal
With Conflict
• To Manage a Conflict
Within Yourself -
"Core Process

IBM India PM Sharenet, 12

December 2008
 Decision making

Techniques
 Pareto Analysis - Choosing what to change
 Paired Comparison Analysis - Working out the
relative importance
of different options
 Grid Analysis - Making a choice taking into Top tips!!
account many factors
• Identify the purpose of
 Decision trees - Choosing by valuing different your decision
options
 PMI - Weighing the pros and cons of a decision • Gather information
 Force Field Analysis - Analyzing the pressures • Identify the principles
for and against change to judge the alternatives
 Six Thinking Hats - Looking at a decision from • Brainstorm and list
different perspectives different possible choices
• Evaluate each choice in
terms of its
consequences
• Determine the best
alternative
• Put the decision into
action
• Evaluate the outcome
of your decision and
action steps
IBM India PM Sharenet, 13
December 2008
 Cultural awareness
Top tips!!
Technique
• Take some time to review the
Hofstede's five Cultural Dimensions scores by country for various Hofstede
cultural dimensions. Pay particular
1. Power/Distance (PD)
attention to countries with regular day to
2. Individualism (IDV) day interaction.
3. Masculinity (MAS) • In light of these scores, think about
some interactions you've had with people
4. Uncertainty/Avoidance Index in other countries. Does your
(UAI) conversation or association make more
sense given this newly found insight?
5. Long Term Orientation (LTO)
• Challenge yourself to learn more about
one culture in particular. Apply Hofstede's
scores to what you discover & determine
the accuracy and relevance for you.
• The next time you are required to work
with a person from a different culture,
use Hofstede's scores & make notes
about your approach, what you should be
prepared to discuss, and why you feel the
way you do. Afterward, evaluate your
performance and do further research and
preparation for the next time.
• Make cultural sensitivity a daily part of
your life. Learn to value the differences
between people and vow to honor and
respect the things that make each nation
of people unique.

IBM India PM Sharenet, 14

December 2008 http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimensions.php?culture1=42&culture2=95
 Some issues with soft skills education

• Education versus Training

• “I’ll know it when I see it.”

• Can we measure it?

• “Why do I have to learn this?”

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December 2008
 How to educate PMs ?
Integrating Soft Skills and Hard Skills in
Software Project Management

 Build upon a technical core

 Integrate soft and technical skills

 Provide opportunities for integrated learning

 Let managers see benefits

 Skill Standards can point the way

 Integrate related disciplines

 Make meaning - soft skills are not the ball, they’re the
whole ball game!

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December 2008
 Conclusion

 Soft skills are important in today’s

global context.
 PMs should spend time in developing
soft skills through usage of explained
techniques/top tips.

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December 2008
 Pass it on!
 Soft skills importance needs to be
understood by PM community
 Soft skills techniques and tips
should be used in day to day
project management

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December 2008